Niagara conservation authority warns of potential flooding in Haldimand

There are 36 conservation authorities in Ontario, and part of their mandate and responsibility is to help protect people from natural hazards, one of the most common being flooding.

That in particularly is a task that requires a lot of regular information gathering, said Steve Miller, senior manager of water resources for the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA).

Every day, we take a look at the forecast, both short term and long term, to get a sense if a big storm is expected," Miller said.

They also access a network of stream gauge stations to see what the water levels are in area creeks, rivers and the Great Lakes, and findings from local climate stations show much rain or snow has fallen.

With all that information, if we determine that a flood event is likely, we issue a bulletin warning people of the event, the timing, the magnitude, et cetera, and give them some kind of information as to what to do," Miller said.

Historically, the NPCA would communicate this information by putting bulletins out via channels such as email, social media and its website.

In the last couple of years, we've added a new tool to the tool box that's really been a game-changer," Miller said. That's the Alertable app.

The app is available for Apple and Android smartphones.

Because it's geographically targeted, what it does, for the first time, is it allows the conservation authority to send messages directly to the individuals who are most impacted," Miller said. So, if you get that message from the conservation authority, you know it will be relevant to you."

Unlike municipal boundaries, conservation authorities' jurisdictions are determined by the watershed. So, while all of Glanbrook falls within the NPCA's purview, only part of Haldimand County does.

It's also within the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Long Point Region Conservation Authority.

At the moment, the latter two do not use the Alertable app. However, the key thing is that all of them sending out messaging to warn local residents, first responders and municipal roads crews when a potential flooding event is detected, Miller said.

He added that the three agencies will co-ordinate their messaging to ensure it's not contradictory.

That said, there can be differences on what kind of impact rain and wind has across the three conservation authorities' areas.

Miller noted that along Lake Erie, there's usually a strong southwest wind, meaning that the water is being pushed to the eastern part of the lake.

In some severe wind events, that surge could raise the elevation of the lake on the easternmost end by about eight feet," he said, while on the westernmost end, the water may go down six or seven feet. During that storm event, the difference in water level between Toledo, Ohio in the west and Buffalo, New York in the east could be 13 feet. That's mind-boggling."

Miller said that's why it's important for residents who live along the lake, in low-lying areas and/or near any other bodies of water keep an eye out for notifications from their local conservation authority, so they can be aware if a flood warning goes out, and follow any possible recommendations there might be to protect property and people.

The more prepared, the more forewarned, the longer the warning that conservation authorities can give folks, the better prepared they will be," Miller said.