Watershed Update-March 17, 2020
Below, you will find the latest Watershed Statistics Update for 2020.
- Generally, snow depth and water content conditions for this time of the year are above normal, except for the Shillington and Gogama snowcourse stations, which are normal and slightly below, respectively. Water content variances, for the other stations are 110.6% to 143.9% above normal through the rest of the Upper Mattagami Watershed.
- Current forecasts show scattered flurries over the coming week with daytime temperatures ranging from -6°C to +5°C with no major systems expected.
- Winter drawdown of Mesomikenda is complete. Mattagami Lake and Peter Long are still in drawdown. The dams are currently set up to continue drawdown until refilling begins in April. Relatively normal inflows have persisted throughout the winter. Wawaitin elevation is normal for this time of year and the lake will be drawn over the coming weeks in preparation for spring melt.
- The enclosed portions of Town Creek and Crawford Creek are being closely watched by Authority and Municipal staff.
- The Authority’s new Flood Contingency Plan was updated and distributed to municipal, provincial and agency partners.
- As a precaution to help limit the spread of COVID-19, the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority has cancelled all face-to-face meetings. As a result, the Timmins Flood Advisory Committee (TFAC) meeting has been postponed until further notice, but the MRCA will remain in contact with the TFAC members should the need arise to communicate.
- The next update will be issued on or about April 1, 2020.
- If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Conservation Authority at 360-2660.
See our Upper Mattagami River Watershed Statistics Report page to download the current watershed statistics and for the full list of reports for 2020.
The information contained in this update has been gathered by Ontario Power Generation, the Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry and the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority. The summary highlights dam operations and storages as well as snow depth and water content in comparison to historical norms. Watershed surveys will be conducted on the 1st and 15th of each month until the snow cover has disappeared.