The Grand River Low Water Response Team met virtually on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 and decided to place the entire watershed at Low Water Level 1 under the Ontario Low Water Program.
Under the Ontario Low Water Program, Level 1 is an “early indication of a potential drought condition” and results in a request for a voluntary 10 per cent reduction in water consumption by all water users, including municipalities, aggregate operations, golf courses, water bottlers, farms for irrigation and private users. A watershed can only move one level at a time; therefore, confirming a Level 1 allows moving to Level 2 in the future if warranted.
The Grand River Low Water Response Team is made up of representatives of major water users including municipalities, farmers, golf course operators, water bottlers, aggregate businesses and others. The decision to move to Level 1 was largely based on low precipitation since September and the forecast heading into the winter season.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has reported that “El Niño conditions, which contributed to extreme global temperatures during the summer and autumn of 2023, are expected to continue through this winter season.” There is very little precipitation in the short-term forecast and a lot of uncertainty in long-term precipitation forecasts. Furthermore, we are approaching the end of the year with little to no snowpack.
The GRCA’s large reservoirs are within their normal operating range for this time of year. The GRCA carefully operates these reservoirs to meet flow targets downstream, while maintaining storage in order to help augment flows throughout the summer. This augmentation helps municipalities that get some, or all, of their drinking water from the Grand River including the Region of Waterloo and the City of Brantford. Six Nations of the Grand River also gets some of its drinking water from the Grand River. Water from these reservoirs also supports the proper operation of sixteen wastewater treatment plants that discharge into the Grand, Speed and Conestogo rivers. The snowpack can be important for filling the reservoirs in the spring. As we move into 2024, the conditions of the reservoirs will be closely monitored and reviewed.