News from: June 2017

Flooding has occurred in areas of the Rideau Watershed as a result of rains that were closer to monthly totals than daily amounts.

The community of North Gower has had floodwaters in some homes and in the streets near Stevens Creek. Low-lying areas along the Rideau and its tributaries have also been flooded but no residential flooding has been reported or is expected in those areas at this time.

A weather system moving into eastern Ontario Wednesday night may bring more rain in thunder storms. What impact these storms will have will depend on timing, intensity and size. The decline of today’s high waters can be expected to be slowed if not reversed. Forecasts do not yet indicate how much rain can be expected.

As has been the case each month since February, precipitation amounts for July have been well above normals throughout the region. On several occasions this year, daily rains have set new records including yesterday when all Meteorological Service of Canada climate stations had rainfall well above previous record totals for the day. The Ottawa Airport received 79 millimetres (mm) yesterday compared to the previous 30 year record of 59 mm in 1987. The Brockville Climate Station at the Brockville Airport had 102 mm compared to 77.4 in 2005. Normal for July at the Brockville area station is 88.1 mm. At the RVCA precipitation monitoring station at Portland on Big Rideau Lake 117 mm was recorded.

The impacts of the unusual amounts of rain are obvious in the region. Crops in farm fields are being damaged by standing water. Golf courses and playing fields have had to be closed. With high flows and levels on area streams and lakes, boaters need to be aware of submerged obstacles and careful when approaching partially submerged docks. Mooring boats and securing docks has become a problem with the higher waters.

All residents need to be aware of the dangers around all waterbodies particularly children.

For water level and flow information in the Rideau system as well as the Ottawa River, visit the RVCA Streamflows and Water Levels webpage at http://his.rvca.ca/rvcafwl/ .

For more information about conditions on the Ottawa River, check the webpage of the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board at http://ottawariver.ca/river-levels-flows.php#river-levels-flows-7-days .

Heavy rains forecast for Monday into Tuesday could cause rapid increases in water levels in small streams and raise rivers and lakes to above normal levels.

The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) has issued a Rainfall Warning that says “A slow moving upper disturbance over Lake Huron is expected to generate significant rainfall amounts over much of Eastern Ontario”. As much as 100 millimetres (mm) of rain is possible over a wide area.

A few days without rain provided some capacity for infiltration of the rain into the soil but that storage has been filled with water levels already on the rise from rainfall this morning. Levels will continue to increase throughout the day.

Flows in smaller streams could go over their banks with heavy localized rain in thunder storms. The rivers in the watershed are not expected to go to the onset of flooding but higher waters may affect navigation on lakes and rivers if normally visible hazards are submerged. Anyone boating on area lakes and rivers needs to be cautious and parents need to remind children of the risks of high levels in all waterbodies.

For water level and flow information in the Rideau system as well as the Ottawa River, visit the RVCA Streamflows and Water Levels webpage at http://his.rvca.ca/rvcafwl/ .

For more information about conditions on the Ottawa River, check the webpage of the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board at http://ottawariver.ca/river-levels-flows.php#river-levels-flows-7-days.

 

OTTAWA, July 19, 2017 — Six of Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s (RVCA) biggest City Stream Watch volunteers were recognized in June with the presentation of Ontario Volunteer Service Awards. The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards recognize volunteers for providing committed and dedicated service to an organization.

Congratulations to Sidney Arnold, Rebecca Cameron, Bruce Douglas Clarke, Francois Yvon Deslauriers, Peter Melvin and Peter Stewart-Burton. These six representatives regularly give their time to monitor and restore the health of Ottawa’s city streams through the City Stream Watch Program.

“We are grateful for their time and devotion to the program,” says Rosario Castanon Escobar, City Stream Watch Coordinator. “Thanks to their help, and many other special volunteers, we are able to collect value information about our city streams, undertake clean-ups, remove invasive species and complete restoration projects.”

The City Stream Watch Program (CSW) is a community-based partnership that includes the RVCA, Heron Park Community Association, Ottawa Flyfishers Society, Rideau Roundtable, Canadian Forces Fish and Game Club, Ottawa Stewardship Council, City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission. The program focuses on 25 of Ottawa’s urban streams corridors within the Rideau watershed.

“These urban streams desperately need our attention,” says Castanon Escobar, saying that there are many natural gems hidden in the concrete jungle.

Since CSW’s inception in 2003, volunteer numbers have grown from 26 to over four hundred. This adds up to over 2,653 hours of volunteer work over the last 14 years.

“We are delighted to see so many people participating and connecting to these valuable natural features in the heart of the city,” says Castanon Escobar.

Special thank you and congratulations to our Ontario Volunteer Service Award recipients:

10+ Years Volunteers:

Orleans resident Bruce Clarke has been a dedicated CSW volunteer for over 12 years. He is also a volunteer on the CSW Collaborative that guides and promotes the program partnership. As a member of the Ottawa Flyfishers Society, Bruce has participated in many CSW events including CSW training, invasive water chestnut identification and removal, and flyfishing demonstrations.

Peter Stewart-Burton, from Ottawa South, has been a long-standing volunteer for over 12 years. As a member of the Canadian Forces Ottawa Fish & Game Club, he is a volunteer member of CSW Collaborative. He helps find funds to support the program and has been heavily involved in many creek garbage clean-up events and has a keen interest on the health of Ottawa South’s Sawmill Creek.

5+ Years Volunteers:

Francois Yvon Deslauriers has been a volunteer for over 7 years. As an Orleans resident, Francois has played a vital role as a member of the Adopt-a-Stream program in Green’s Creek. Last year he brought to our attention a massive debris jam that was eventually cleared by the City of Ottawa thanks to his watchful eyes.

Sidney Arnold is a knowledgeable volunteer that has assisted with many stream surveys and fish sampling sessions. Over the last five years, this Nepean resident has helped with projects on Black Rapids, Cardinal, Hunt Club, Mosquito, Mud, Ramsey, Sawmill and Stillwater Creeks.

Nepean’s Peter Melvin has been a long-standing involved stream watcher. His passion for the CSW program encouraged his son to get involved. He helped on stream surveys, garbage clean ups, tree plantings, and invasive species removal events in Black Rapids, Nepean, Ramsay, Sawmill, Steven’s, Taylor and West Bilberry Creeks.

Youth Commitment Category:

Rebecca Cameron is a recent graduate from the University of Guelph’s Environmental Sciences Program who has volunteered for the last two years with CSW during her summer vacations. Her passion to participate has made her an excellent recruiter. Since joining the CSW teams, she has encouraged both her father Murray and brother Joe to volunteer — making it a fun family affair!

Congratulations and thank you to our exceptional volunteers.

To learn more about the City Stream Watch program, the urban creeks and ways to get involved visit www.rvca.ca or contact Rosario Castanon Escobar at 613-692-3571 ext. 1155.

Your Kindergarten class will be led through a series of age-appropriate, interactive activities suited to the season. Investigate what animals need to survive in different habitats through an outdoor scavenger hunt, get hands-on with animal pelts and skulls, and explore nature through fun play-based activities. Can be offered as a half-day or full-day program.

Above normal rain has received plenty of attention over recent weeks with close to a normal month worth of rain having fallen at several monitoring locations in the Rideau watershed in half the month of July. Most extreme is at the Ottawa Airport where 109 millimetres (mm) has fallen to date where 92 mm is the 30 year historical average. Normal precipitation on the watershed to mid-July is about 504 mm. This year, an average of 729 mm has been recorded.

After relatively high spring levels in April on Rideau watershed streams and lakes, rainfall has continued to keep levels above normal. The flow at the Rideau at Ottawa monitoring station reached about 160 cubic metres per second (cms) flow on July 3. The previous July highest recorded flow was 98 cms in 2008.

The Jock River has been unusually high compared to normal throughout the spring and early summer. The third peak of the year was also the highest on record for July, reaching 64 cms on July 3 as compared to 23 cms in July of 2009.

The snowmelt peak on Kemptville Creek of 56 cms on April 7 was below the highest recorded flow of 80 cms in 1972. The second peak on May 8, however, was about 45 cms, almost twice the previously recorded May high of 24 cms. Unlike what is ongoing on the Jock River, Kemptville Creek flows have not challenged previous records in July with relatively less rain falling in the headwater areas than in other locations in the watershed. Rainfall at the Brockville Airport climate station is at a surplus for the year to date of 52 mm with July rainfall

Similarly, recent July rains in the Tay River watershed have not been as heavy as in the Jock or Lower Rideau. The Rideau Canal reservoir lakes, Big Rideau, Upper Rideau, Wolfe and Bobs, are presently close to the respective targets. The outflow from Bobs Lake is still slightly above normal for the time of year. Fortunately, levels on Christie Lake are not being adversely affected unlike when close to 170 mm of rain was recorded at the monitoring station at Bobs Lake over the first week of May that did cause flooding issues on Christie Lake.

The impact of all the rain is obvious throughout the watershed with ponded water on many farm fields. Some golf courses and playing fields are unplayable. Residences and other buildings, some not close to a stream, are contending with saturated soils that are causing seepage through basement walls and floors.

Flows continue to be above normal throughout the watershed. July is typically a dry month, normal flow on the Jock River is about 1.7 cms but is well above that today at 30 cms. Rideau at Ottawa is about ten times normal for this date. Kemptville Creek is nine times normal. The Tay River flow in Perth is somewhat less at only twice normal. All flows will remain relatively high as long as the rain persists which is for the foreseeable future.

With the high flows in ditches and streams come slippery streambanks. Caution is needed and parents should advise their children of the danger.

For water level and flow information in the Rideau system as well as the Ottawa River, visit the RVCA Streamflows and Water Levels webpage at http://his.rvca.ca/rvcafwl/ .

For more information about conditions on the Ottawa River, check the webpage of the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board at http://ottawariver.ca/river-levels-flows.php#river-levels-flows-7-days .

 

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