Flood Forecasting and Warning

Flood forecasting is one of the most important services that Kawartha Conservation provides to our residents and member municipalities. A timely warning of upcoming high-water conditions is critical to helping everybody to prepare and be better able to respond.

Flood messages

Our flood messages are sent to the media, posted on our website and shared on our social media channels. You can subscribe to receive Kawartha Conservation flood messages via email.

The following colour-coded symbols describe the watershed conditions. This is always indicated throughout our website.

Normal

Normal status indicates that no flood conditions exist. However, even during normal conditions, the inherent risk to personal safety associated with flowing water still exists.

Watershed Conditions Statement

There are two types of Watershed Conditions Statements: Water Safety and Flood Outlook.

Watershed Conditions Statement - Water Safety

A Water Safety message implies the unsafe conditions on the local watercourses. High flows, unsafe banks, melting ice, or other factors that could be dangerous for recreational users such as anglers, canoeists, hikers, children, pets, etc. Flooding is not expected.

Watershed Conditions Statement - Flood Outlook

A Flood Outlook message is an early notice of the potential for flooding based on weather forecasts calling for:

Heavy rain
Snow melt
Other conditions that could lead to high runoff, ice jams, lakeshore flooding, or erosion

Flood Watch

A Flood Watch warns that flooding is possible. Municipalities, emergency services, and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should prepare. A Flood Watch may be issued for specific waterbodies or municipalities.

Flood Warning

A Flood Warning advises that flooding is imminent or already occurring. A Flood Warning may be issued for specific waterbodies or municipalities.

Flood response

If your life is in danger call 911 immediately.

For assistance in the event of a flood, please contact your municipality directly:

Your local municipality provides flood response measures such as road closures, possible help with sandbagging and evacuation if required.

For information about flooding on the Burnt and Gull Rivers please contact the NDMNRF - Minden Area office.

Flood preparedness

If you own property or live in a floodplain, here are some steps you can take to deal with flooding.

Prepare your property

You can prepare your property for a flood by:

Installing a sump pump and zero reverse flow valves in basement floor drains
Having a portable generator and pump available and make sure they are working
Moving important items that may be subject to flooding to upper levels
Consulting your electricity and fuel suppliers (oil, natural gas, propane) for instructions on how to safely shut down and protect furnaces and other equipment, and the steps that need to be taken after a flood before restarting equipment
Consulting your property insurer about steps you should take if your property is flooded

When a flood is imminent or occurring

Take these steps during a flood to reduce the amount of damage and stay safe:

Remove valuable items from the basement

Follow the instructions from your utility supplier (gas, electrical, propane, etc.) to safely shut down and protect furnaces and other appliances.
Prepare to evacuate if necessary
Collect necessary items such as cash, medication, important papers, identification and change of clothes
Consider evacuating your residence if streets in your neighbourhood are flooded
Resist the urge to tour flooded areas. You may be putting your own life at risk and could interfere with the work of emergency responders.
Ensure your pets are not left alone during a flood by taking them to a kennel or leaving them with family and friends
If a road has been closed, obey the signs and take alternate routes

After a flood

Follow these tips after a flood to help reduce damage:

Do not return home until authorities advise it is safe
Report broken utility lines
Consult your insurer about steps to take if your property is flooded
If you suspect your building has suffered structural damage, contact the building department of your municipality
If the main power switch was not turned off prior to flooding, do not re-enter your home until a qualified electrician has determined it is safe to do so
If your main electrical panel was under water, it must be cleaned, dried and tested by a qualified electrician to determine if it is safe
Do not use flooded appliances, electrical outlets, switch boxes or fuse breaker panels until they have been checked by the power company
If natural gas lines were under water, contact your gas supplier before resuming service
If natural gas appliances were under water, have them checked by an approved heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor
The water in your home could be contaminated with sewage and other pollutants. Contact the local health unit for instructions.

Our jurisdiction and partners

We forecast high water levels and flooding in local creeks, rivers and lakes within our watershed. Neighbouring conservation authorities look after creeks in their respective areas. Where there are no conservation authorities, such as in the area to the north of Kawartha Conservation where the Burnt and Gull Rivers flow, the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) provides flood forecasting.

As the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) makes its way through the Kawartha Conservation watershed we work with Parks Canada. The large dams on Balsam, Cameron, Sturgeon, Pigeon Lake and Lake Scugog that regulate those lakes' levels are all owned and operated by the TSW. The agency also oversees the small dams on the Burnt and Gull Rivers and its tributaries.

In our flood forecasting and warning operations we work very closely with our partners to provide accurate and timely forecasts.

Monitoring network

To predict flooding we watch rivers and lakes, ground conditions and weather across the watershed 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. Our monitoring network includes water level gauges, precipitation and other weather parameters gauges and snow courses. For weather forecast we use information from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The monitoring network across the watershed includes:

Five streamflow gauges
Five lake water level gauges
Five rainfall gauges
Three total precipitation locations, measuring snow, rain and mixed precipitation
Four snow courses

To see the available data, visit Watershed Monitoring page.