SNC issues Level Three low water advisory

FINCH – A severe low water advisory has been issued for the South Nation River watershed. The South Nation Conservation Authority declared the Level Three water advisory August 26.

“Level Three conditions indicated that water supply no longer meets demand in certain regions and ongoing drought conditions are putting increased pressure on surface and groundwater supplies,” the statement from SNC said.

The conservation authority says that the region has received less than 20 per cent of the usual forecast amount of rainfall. That lack of rainfall has resulted in reduced water flow in the watershed, with many tributaries to the South Nation River “going completely dry.”

Seasonal averages for rainfall are in the 80-90 millimetre range, only 15-17 mm of rainfall has been recorded recently.

Environment Canada’s forecast over the next few days has between eight and 16 mm falling by the end of the week – which is not enough to replenish the water supply.

SNC spokesperson Erin Thorne confirmed the last time SNC declared a Level Three Low Water Advisory was in August 2016. At that time, the advisory was limited to the river headwaters and Bear Brook region with a Level Two advisory in place for the balance of the watershed.

During a Level Three advisory, all water users are asked to reduce their water use and suspend non-essential water uses.

Outdoor water use is banned currently in Winchester and Chesterville to protect their well-fed municipal water supply. In North Stormont, there are water use restrictions in Finch, Crysler, and Moose Creek.

Most municipalities within the SNC region have burn bans still in place due to the dry conditions. This includes South Dundas, North Dundas, North Stormont, and Edwardsburgh-Cardinal.