The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry issued a flood watch for the Gull River watershed on Monday, impacting residents in Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
The ministry says water levels and river flows are expected to rise over the next several days due to recent rainfall. Environment Canada had issued a special weather statement for the area calling for an additional 10 to 15 millimetres of rainfall on Monday into Tuesday morning.
The ministry says water levels in managed lakes within the watershed are at or near full supply level for this time of year.
“Water levels and river flows are expected to rise as runoff from recent rainfall enters the system,” the ministry stated. “Gull River water flows through the Village of Minden and Shadow Lake are anticipated to remain at or above bank-full flows for the next couple of weeks.”
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The ministry cautions that downstream water bodies may experience a delay in the full impact of the upstream input due to rain and snowmelt runoff cascading through the entire watershed.
The flood watch will remain in effect until at least May 11. Residents are advised to take precautions to protect and secure any property near rivers and lakes, especially residents who have been impacted by flooding in previous years. They are also asked to closely monitor developing waterbody conditions and avoid banks and shorelines, which may be slippery and unstable.
In Minden, sand and sandbags are available for use at the S.G. Nesbitt Arena, located at 55 Parkside St. (upper-level parking lot).
Due to rising water on the Gull River, Minden Hills Township closed the Minden Riverwalk pathway off Invergordon Avenue on the west side of the river and the public boat dock located off Water Street on the river’s east side.
The ministry also advises extreme caution when using forest access roads for outdoor activities as they may become “seasonally inundated” with water, are prone to washouts and may become impassible due to localized flooding.
In 2019, the village of Minden declared a state of emergency due to flooding on the Gull River.
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