Otonabee conservation authority issues flood watch for Peterborough region

A flood watch is effect for the Otonabee Region watershed in central Ontario.

The Otonabee Region Conservation Authority stated Friday that the flood watch excludes the Otonabee River, Rice Lake and Kawartha Lakes.

The watch will remain in effect until Monday.

The authority says a low-pressure weather system will move across southern Ontario, bringing above-freezing air temperatures and a total of 20 to 30 mm of rainfall to the area beginning Friday night and continuing Saturday.

“The combination of snowmelt and rainfall over the next 48 hours may produce significant run-off,” stated Gord Earle, flood forecasting and warning duty officer for Otonabee Region Conservation Authority.

Earle said the potential run-off and thawing frozen ground conditions could lead to minor flooding in some of the watershed’s low-lying areas. He cautioned there could potentially be hazardous conditions such as water on the roads in some areas.

“As a minimum, the expected run-off will result in accumulations and ponding of water on the ground where there is poor drainage, along with higher than normal water levels and flows in the area’s waterway,” he stated.

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The conservation authority advises residents to keep away from all bodies of water, watercourses and conveyance structures such as dams, culverts and bridges, as well as to stay clear of anywhere that water can be seen to be accumulating and ponding.

The flood watch impacts the municipalities of Selwyn, Douro-Dummer, Asphodel-Norwood, Otonabee-South Monaghan, Cavan Monaghan, City of Kawartha Lakes, City of Peterborough and Trent Hills.