WINDSOR

Record high water levels lead to flood watch for whole month of June: ERCA

Melanie Borrelli

Melanie Kentner CTV Windsor Multi-Skilled Journalist / Digital Lead

@mkentnerctv Contact

Published Tuesday, June 2, 2020 2:21PM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, June 2, 2020 2:35PM EDT

Lake St. Clair in Lakeshore, Ont., on Sunday, July 21, 2019. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)

Text:

WINDSOR, ONT. -- The Essex Region Conservation Authority has issued a flood watch for all of June amid record setting water levels.

ERCA says due to the current high calm water levels in Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and Lake Erie, the region will remain under the watch for all shoreline areas - including Pelee Island and islands within the western basin of Lake Erie.

Preliminary information indicates that both Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie have set new record highs for the month of May, surpassing last year’s record setting levels.

At these current record-setting levels, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie are roughly 85 centimetres and 75 cm, respectively, above long-term average levels. This continues to elevate the risk of flooding and erosion near our shoreline areas.

ERCA says high lake levels continue to cause downstream reaches of major tributaries to remain elevated. With tributaries full of lake water, it reduces their capacity to handle rainfall and has the potential to cause local rivers, creeks and streams to swell and potentially spill into low-lying areas under more frequent rainfall events than normal.

Officials will continue monitor conditions and forecasts and issue area-specific messages based on available information. As shoreline conditions can sometimes change quickly, ERCA is advising residents to monitor local conditions and to take proper precautions, especially as winds reach sustained speeds of roughly 30 km/hr.

Areas of concern:

Northeast/East Winds