Flood Warning In Effect To All Cities and Towns Near Lake Ontario

Published May 2, 2019 at 5:20 pm

pexels-photo-1739262

The Credit Valley Conservation has released a flood warning for all cities and towns near the Lake Ontario shoreline.

In 2017, there were flood damages to structures near the Lake Ontario shoreline due to an elevation of 75.45 metres. On April 30, 2019, the Lake Ontario elevation was up to 75.41 metres. Yesterday, the lake elevation was near 75.46 metres.

The Lake Ontario St Lawrence River Board of the International Joint Commission is estimating that the elevation will rise to 75.65 to 75.95 metres in late May or Early June. This is about two centimetres above the record set in 2017.

However, this does not take into account high levels of wind, which can further elevate the lake, and cause additional damage to the shoreline and surrounding structures.

As lake levels increase, certain areas may be blocked off or isolated.

According to the Surface Water Monitoring Centre of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the elevation is due to the rainy weather and the melting of snow within the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River.

The elevation for Lake Erie is also set at a new record high. This flow can discharge into Lake Ontario via the Niagara River.

“Over the next several weeks, Lake Ontario levels will increase and will remain high for the season due to high inflows from Lake Erie and restricted Lake Ontario outflows to mitigate downstream flooding along the St Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers,” says the Credit Valley Conservation.

During the last couple of weeks, Eastern Ontario and Quebec have suffered from major flooding due to the high flows from the St Lawrence and Ottawa River.

Residents and people visiting areas close to Lake Ontario are being advised to use extreme caution and obey all closure notices for trails and pathways.

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising