The Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA) has issued a flood watch for city of Peterborough, Selwyn, Douro-Dummer, Asphodel-Norwood, Otonabee-South Monaghan, Cavan Monaghan, City of Kawartha Lakes, and Trent Hills.
In a statement, ORCA says the ice cover in the upper reaches of area rivers, streams and creeks has broken up and the ice chunks are being carried downstream, resulting in a blockage of water flow. That coupled with higher than normal temperatures has led to an increased risk of flooding.
“Where blockages are occurring, water may be held back causing elevated water levels upstream,” the statement said.
The ORCA says ice jams are dynamic, and there could be a few different outcomes from these situations.
If the downstream water is able to erode a path through the ice dam, then water can still flow through and the water level conditions upstream might not worsen.
However, if the ice jam breaks, the authority notes, the water being held back will be released all at once, meaning flash flooding could occur downstream.
According to ORCA, there’s a third possibility.
“In the event that the ice jam increasingly restricts the river channel, then the water being held back will likewise increase causing flooding upstream.”
In the meantime, the ORCA is asking residents and business owners who are located in low-lying areas close to the edge of rivers, streams or creeks to prepare themselves for the possibility of a flood.
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