Algonquin Highlands, Haliburton, Ontario
When it comes to the spring melt, also called "the freshet", AH has a foot in both MNRF Districts and receives water advisories from both - and they're often not the same.
The MNRF water advisories are called 'Water Condition Statements' and the four levels of notice are:
1. Water Safety - indicating that high flows, melting ice or other factors could be dangerous for such users as boaters, anglers and swimmers but flooding is not expected.
2. Flood Outlook - gives early notice of the potential for flooding based on weather forecasts calling for heavy rain, snow melt, high winds or other conditions
3. Flood Watch - where there's potential for flooding within specific watercourses and municipalities
4. Flood Warning - where flooding is imminent or occurring within specific watercourses and municipalities.
Depending where you are, there may be different Water Condition Statements from the MNRF. This is because no two watersheds are the same; they don't have the same features, capacity, challenges or management.
For example, in the green watershed, water flows and levels are managed by dams owned/operated by the Trent Severn Waterway, and one or two power companies.
In the pink and yellow watersheds, water flows and levels are managed by dams owned and operated by MNRF, and several power companies.
Property owners, the MNRF, the TSW, power companies and municipalities all the way down to Lake Ontario have varying interests in how, how fast, and how high the water flows.
Add to that varying degrees of snowpack, rain, ice, the number of lakes, rivers and creeks that inflow - each of which is unique and ... whew!
Many, many hands and hearts have been working collaboratively for YEARS to provide as much consistency for as many needs as possible. And we're doing pretty well overall (although there are, and always will be some frustrating anomalies like the Flow Through Lakes - argh - whole other topic). The Coalition for Equitable Water Flow (CEWF) must be acknowledged for their substantial work on these collaborations.
So when I say over and over that water levels are "complex and complicated", this is what I mean.
I hope this is helpful in better understanding not only the complexities but how much work goes into it all.
I'm happy to have been highly involved in this 'portfolio' for more than ten years, and I'll continue to post WATER LEVELS UPDATES here.
Please take some time to follow the TSW and CEWF websites for ongoing info:
TSW: https://www.pc.gc.ca/.../infonet/niveau-eau-water-levels
