Water eight feet above normal

The heavy rain that pelleted Lambton County is now flooding low-lying areas from Strathroy to Dresden.

In Petrolia, Bridgeview Park, which historically floods in the spring, the water now covers the entire park with picnic tables and and porta potties bobbing in the water.

Girish Sankar, director of water resources at the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, says the 12 gauges the authority has throughout the watershed have recorded between 150 to 200 mm of rain in the last seven days.

The gauges registered up to 150 mm in Petrolia over that time frame which is combining with the flood waters from runoff from upstream.

Sankar says water levels crested in Strathroy yesterday around 6 pm after about 130 mm of rain. The authority says Bear Creek – which now sits about eight feet above normal – is already receding.

The Sydenham is also peaking at Shetland this morning. Officials from Dawn-Euphemia say the water has yet to crest the bank. Sankar expects the flood waters to recede this afternoon.

While a significant amount of rain has fallen – more than the monthly average in one week – Sankar says because it fell over a period of seven days, the water levels in local rivers, creeks and streams have had “a lot of peaks and drops” and the conservation authority did not have to consider opening the McKeough Dam.

You can see Chris Godwin’s drone footage here:

https://www.facebook.com/chris.godwin.52/videos/1102587858098079?idorvanity=430490032028483