Flood risk for Ontario’s 'salad bowl' area; Lake Simcoe levels near record highs
Rising water levels on Lake Simcoe are nearing a decades-long high and threatening to flood what's known as Ontario’s salad bowl area, a lush section of farmland north of Toronto that is a major producer of vegetables in the province.
Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority issued a “high risk” shoreline hazard warning for flooding in low-lying areas earlier this month.
In an update Friday, the conservation authority said the alert will remain in place until May 8.
Those “low-lying” areas include Innisfil, Georgina, Ramara, Barrie and Orillia, which are already experiencing some flooding, according to the alert.
Such a warning “often means flooding is imminent or already occurring,” said Kenneth Cheney, director of flood management with the conservation authority.
Cheney said the lake's current water level is close to a historical high set in 1960.
Higher than average water levels in Lake Simcoe are causing worry amongst farmers in Ontario's 'salad bowl' region, which is a major vegetable producer in the province. (Patrick Morrell/CBC News)
The conservation authority listed the water level at 219.4 metres Friday, which is 31 centimetres higher than normal for this time of year.
That level could rise even higher with rainfall, with the alert noting an additional 10 to 30 millimetres of rain is expected in the Simcoe region over the weekend.
It could take “weeks, if not months” for lake levels to return to more seasonal averages, said Cheney.
Water levels concern farmers
Joe Chapman, manager at Don Chapman Farms, has been busy trying to keep the rising water levels from flooding his fields.
He’s built dikes — elevated barriers of dirt — to keep the water out and deployed bladder bags, which swell on contact with water and are used as an alternative to sandbags.
“It’s a little intense right now. We’re still at risk of a possible dike breach,” he said.
Joe Chapman, manager at Don Chapman Farms Limited, said he is worried about the potential impact of flooding due to elevated water levels on this year's growing season. (Sue Goodspeed/CBC News)
Chapman said he had already started growing celery in the farm’s greenhouse in preparation for the season.
That crop does particularly well near water and when it’s grown in the fertile “black muck” soil that is at risk of getting flooded if there is a severe dike breach.
“We do have [a] fair bit invested into this season already,” said Chapman.
“What would be even worse … is if we get the whole [celery] parcel planted, and then it floods.”
Chapman said if a dike on the farm breaks, it would not just flood his farm, but also neighbouring properties.
“It’s a pretty big deal. This is our livelihood.”
Lake Simcoe part of greater watershed system
Lake Simcoe is part of a greater watershed system that spans 3,400 kilometers, according to its conservation authority’s website.
Parks Canada manages the lake’s water levels because it’s part of the Trent Severn Waterway system, a national historic site that connects Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.
George Arhonditsis, a professor of environmental modeling at the University of Toronto who’s done research on Lake Simcoe watersheds, said the lake’s increasing water levels aren’t “atypical.”
Lake Simcoe is part of a greater watershed system that spans 3,400 kilometers. (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority)
Because the lake is part of the Trent Severn system, its water levels have a “reasonable predictability,” and you can expect them to increase during the spring months from melting snow, he said.
Arhonditsis said the anomaly this year stems from an unusually prolonged, cold winter and excessive snowfall, which could be attributed to the La Niña year.
Other factors like strong winds, which generate more waves, and above average rainfall could also play a role.
So long as the weather co-operates, Arhonditsis said he is “optimistic” that the flood risk can be mitigated because of the engineering infrastructure already in place to curb flooding.
“This is at least a broader call to be proactive, to make sure that all the infrastructure, all the protective measures are properly maintained, and [to] potentially increase the investments to protect the farmers in that very fertile, very productive area of Lake Simcoe."
Thumbnail courtesy of Patrick Morrell/CBC News.
The story was originally written by Alina Snisarenko and published for CBC News. It contains files from Sheehan Desjardins.