Area residents asked to reduce water consumption
A Low Water Advisory with level one conditions is in effect for the North Bay-Mattawa watershed.
The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) issued the advisory Wednesday afternoon saying it’s the first indication for a potential water supply issue, based on precipitation and streamflow criteria.
However, officials say after being assessed, all municipal water intakes within the conservation authority’s jurisdiction were determined to have a low level of risk.
They add municipal water supply issues are not anticipated at this time, while private water systems were not assessed.
“Streamflow across the watershed is low and there has been limited precipitation over the past three months, especially through July and August,” says Angela Mills, NBMCA Duty Officer. “Local stream gauges are reporting flow between 10% and 60% of normal for the month of August and conditions through September will need to be wetter than normal before low water conditions could end.”
All residents are encouraged to voluntarily reduce their water consumption, targeting an overall water usage reduction of 10%.
Boaters, meantime, are encouraged to exercise additional caution in areas with low water.
Richard Coffin has been a reporter and news anchor on the radio in North Bay for over 25 years. From premiers to people in the neighbourhood, he enjoys connecting with newsmakers and writing stories that matter to area listeners on a variety of topics including healthcare, education, politics, sports and more.
