Residents asked to reduce water usage by 30 per cent during level 3 low condition

Massassaga Point. – Quinte Conservation photo

As part of declaring a Level 3 Low Water Condition, Quinte Conservation will be request its 18 member municipalities ask their residents and businesses to reduce water usage by 30 per cent until the supply is replenished.

Due to lack of rainfall and low flows in local rivers and streams, the Level 3 – most severe low water level – was declared Wednesday by Quinte Conservation and its water response team.

“We confirm low water conditions using two criteria – precipitation and stream flow,” said Christine Phillibert, Water Resources Manager. “Both criteria are very low for this time of year and lower than we usually see at the end of summer or early fall. Some of our rivers are experiencing the lowest flows since 2016.”

Phillibert adds Quinte Conservation will be communicating with its 18 municipalities and requesting that they ask their residents and businesses to reduce water usage by 30 per cent until the supply is replenished.

Individuals or businesses in the Quinte watersheds who experience problems or hardships, such as wells going dry, can fill out the low water form, online at QuinteConservation.ca These reports will help the organization track the impacts of the Low Water Condition.

“Reducing water use by 30 per cent means that residents will have to take a hard look at how they are using their water. Many local individuals have already stopped watering their lawns in an effort to conserve water. Other large uses of water in the average home are toilets, showers, and laundry. Drinking water and food preparation only make up about five per cent of the water used in an average home.”

The long range forecasts indicate the hot, dry weather will continue and it’s now essential for residents, businesses, and municipalities to conserve water. People on private wells should be especially careful of their water usage. Well owners should take steps to protect their well pump. A licensed contractor can be hired to check water levels and make sure the pump is working and protected against running dry.

“Due to much lower-than-normal precipitation totals over the course of the summer, monthly average stream flows in the Moira, Napanee, and Salmon Rivers are less than 30% of normal for the typical lowest flow month,” said Phillibert. “We need a significant amount of rain to change that.”

A Level 3 Low Water Condition indicates a failure of the water supply to meet demand. Restrictions on water use may be imposed by municipalities or under the provincial Water Resources Act. Low water conditions are ranked as Level 1, 2 or 3 based on a prolonged period of low flows or precipitation. Level 1 is the least severe and Level 3 is the most severe.

Quinte Conservation has operated dams in order to increase flows downstream. Phillibert explains, “We are attempting to maintain a minimal flow in the rivers to support local ecosystems. Low flow augmentation structures that have been operated according to their individual operation plans include Upper Arden Dam, Second Depot Lake Dam and Third Depot Lake Dam.

Quinte Conservation has stopped generating hydroelectric power at the McLeod Dam due to low flows in the Moira River.

Quinte Conservation issued the first low water warning this year on Aug. 14 and will continue to monitor precipitation and stream flows and provide updates.

Quinte Conservation is the lead for the local Water Response Team (WRT) for all of Prince Edward County and the watersheds of the Moira, Napanee and Salmon Rivers. The team includes representatives from municipalities, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, and local industry. The WRT is formed when the watershed is in a Level 1 condition. Water Response Teams monitor local conditions carefully and work with local water users to reduce demand and mitigate the effects of water shortages.

This message will be in effect until (or updated before) Oct. 22.

Quinte Conservation is a community-based environmental protection agency. It serves 18 municipalities in the watersheds of the Moira, Napanee and Salmon Rivers and Prince Edward County.