Due to increased amounts of precipitation over the last few months, the previously declared Level 2 & Level 1 Low Water Conditions for the HCA watershed have been terminated.
The Hamilton Low Water Response Team appreciates water users’ efforts to reduce their water consumption.
A Level 2 Low Water Condition was declared on October 20, 2022, because precipitation amounts and streamflow rates fell below pre-determined thresholds set by the provincial government under its Low Water Response Program. Three-month precipitation totals had
been mostly below 60 percent of long-term averages, and 30-day average streamflows had been mostly below 30 percent of the minimum average summer month flows. The Level 2 declaration included a request for a voluntary 20 percent reduction in normal water use by all
users of water supplied from watercourses, waterbodies, and groundwater sources within the HCA watershed.
Previous to this date, the HCA watershed had been in a Level 1 Low Water Condition since July 28, 2022.
The Hamilton Low Water Response Team comprises of water users in the watershed, including agricultural representatives, golf courses, nursery operators, quarry operations, industrial users, and provincial and municipal representatives. HCA staff act as co-chair for this
team and are responsible for regularly evaluating watershed conditions, which provides evidence to support declaring low water conditions.
