After nearly three months under a a severe Level 3 low-water advisory, the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) has downgraded to a Level 2, or moderate, low-water status.
Level 2 is the second of three water advisories a conservation authority can issue and “indicates a potentially serious problem,” while encouraging residents to avoid using water for non-essential purposes.
The downgrade comes after the
conservation authority
reported that precipitation indicators had “considerably improved” in the Mississippi Valley watershed following recent rainfall and snowfall.
Over the past 90 days, precipitation has recovered more than 80 per cent of the long-term seasonal average, while conditions have further improved in the past 30 days with precipitation recovering 100 per cent of the seasonal norm, the MVCA said.
In the upper Mississippi watershed, precipitation remains below average at approximately 60 per cent for the past 90 days and 40 per cent for the past 30 days, the conservation authority reported.
Environment Canada reported an above-average October precipitation levels in the nation’s capital. Around 141 millimetres of precipitation were reported at the Ottawa International Airport, more than 50 millimetres above the October average of 87.4.
The MVCA had been under a Level 3 low-water status since Sept. 24 and has been under a low-water alert since Aug. 11.
Under the downgraded Level 2 status, the conservation authority is still urging residents to use water conservatively by draining rain barrels to water lawns and gardens and to avoid using pressure washers.
“The MVCA is asking all water users that are not on the City of Ottawa’s municipal distribution network to reduce their water consumption by 20 per cent to help mitigate the impacts of the low water conditions,” it wrote in its statement Friday.
The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority encompasses regions in rural west-end Ottawa from South March to as far north as Constance Bay. Also within its boundaries are Almonte and Carleton Place, going as far west as Bon Echo.
Residents of Marathon Village, located just outside of Carp and within the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority area, have
previously told the Ottawa Citizen
that, despite increased rainfall, private wells are still running dry there.
A water resources specialist with the MVCA told the Citizen in October that only surface water and precipitation levels were considered by the conservation authority when monitoring drought conditions.
The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and the South Nation Conservation Authority, which also encompass regions within the City of Ottawa, were still under Level Three low-water advisories as of Friday.
The RVCA said a low-water status would stay in place if private well users continued to report issues, according to Justin Robert.
“It is our intent to maintain our low water status if private water-supply issues persist,” Robert wrote in a statement this past week.
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority staff said they would continue to monitor conditions and communicate with water managers throughout the watershed.
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