Weekend rains bring warnings of flooding and “dangerous” Durham creeks and shorelines
Published March 8, 2024 at 2:37 pm
The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) is warning Durham Region residents to stay away from local waterways this weekend, with the intense rain forecast for Saturday expected to make creeks and shorelines “extremely dangerous.”
CLOCA said the Ministry of Natural Resoirces is tracking a low-pressure system expected to move into Durham for the next three days, with as much as 40 mm of precipitation will fall between tomorrow and Sunday, with most of the rain falling on Saturday.
Wet soil conditions combined with the incoming precipitation will result in substantial runoff causing higher than normal water levels, and while widespread flooding is not anticipated, fast flowing water and flooding of low-lying areas and roadways may be expected in some flood-prone locales.
CLOCA is asking all residents to stay away from all watercourses, shorelines, and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams and to give children the same heads-up. Increased wave activity, elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks and Lake Ontario shorelines continue to make these locations extremely dangerous, the conservation authority said in a release.
The Water Safety Statement will be in effect through Sunday March 10.
CLOCA monitors four major and 18 minor watersheds in Durham, including Lynde Creek, Oshawa Creek, Bowmanville Creek and Soper Creek. Most of these natural resources are in Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington, though the watershed borders touch every Durham municipality except for Brock Township in the north.
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