UPDATE: SCRCA issues flood warning

A large amount of rainfall this week has led to rising waters, and the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) to issue a flood warning.

In a bulletin issued at 9:15 p.m. Thursday, the SCRCA indicated that rainfall amounts ranging from 30 to 100 millimetres had fallen, with smaller amounts of snow and additional rain in the forecast through Friday morning. With water rising, the SCRCA activated the McKeough Dam. Gates were closed Thursday evening to reduce the risk of severe flooding to Wallaceburg. Now that water levels have started to stabilize, the gates of the McKeough Dam have started to reopen on Friday afternoon.

Saturated soil may lead to more ponding, increased runoff into watercourses and increased seepage and erosion problems, said SCRCA director of water resources Girish Sankar.

"High amounts of rainfall in a short period of time can lead to increased runoff and flash flooding, particularly in urban areas," said Sankar in the bulletin issued Thursday night.

In the Wallaceburg-area, the wind is expected to come in out of the west, causing a backwater effect along the Sydenham River, which will lead to higher water levels upstream.

The following roads in St. Clair and Enniskillen Townships will be impacted:

• Stanley Line east of Kimball Road
• Pretty Road north of McCallum Line
• Durham Creek Line at Black Ash Line
• Fairweather Road between Rokeby Line and Shiloh Line
• Fairweather Road between Oil Springs Line and Aberfeldy Line

Further south, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority's (LTVCA) ongoing flood watch warns that the strong wind gusts expected off of Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie could lead to more shoreline damage, erosion, and flooding for lakeside properties. A flood watch remains in effect for Erie Shore Drive and Lighthouse Cove.

The wind has prompted Environment Canada to issue a special weather statement for winds reaching potential gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour throughout the overnight hours of Thursday and into Friday.

Officials at both the LTVCA and SCRCA are urging residents living along the water to keep a close eye on local conditions and to prepare for the possibility of flooding.

They are also urging residents to avoid areas along the shoreline if the conditions get rough because the waves can be strong, and the ground could be very slippery.

---with files from Natalia Vega and Mark Brown