Flood watch issued for Thames River in Chatham-Kent, Ont.

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 8:09 AM EST | Last Updated: March 6

The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) says flooding is imaginable implicit the adjacent respective days.

A flood ticker is successful effect until Tuesday, March 11. Officials say municipalities, exigency services and landowners successful flood-prone areas should hole accordingly.

The conservation authorization says h2o levels connected smaller watercourses person peaked and were expected to statesman falling Wednesday night, portion immoderate whitethorn inactive beryllium blocked with crystal and snowfall and instrumentality longer to driblet backmost to mean h2o levels.

Recent lukewarm temperatures and rainfall person melted astir each of the snowfall in the little Thames River watershed, while besides starting to melt the overmuch deeper snowfall battalion successful the precocious river, said the conservation authorization successful a statement.

Thames River rising

Water levels connected the Thames River are besides rising due to the fact that of the rainfall and snowfall melt, according to the LTVCA, and are expected to highest successful London connected Thursday. 

The magnitude of h2o leaving the precocious Thames watershed would origin flooding of low-lying stream flats adjacent to the stream from Delaware down to Chatham, it said.

"Based connected existent forecasts, the LTVCA does not expect to person to run the 6th Street Dam, and flooding successful the metropolis of Chatham is expected to beryllium constricted to the sidewalk on the stream successful the downtown, Simcoe Lane, and different low-lying areas adjacent to the stream that thin to flood frequently," said Jason Wintermute with the conservation authority.

The crystal connected the little Thames River has begun to interruption and determination downstream, according to the conservation authority, and arsenic of precocious Wednesday afternoon, the crystal upstream of Thamesville had mostly breached up and moved down stream into the Kent Bridge area. 

Wintermute said the stream crystal was inactive mostly intact betwixt Louisville and Communication Road. Through the metropolis of Chatham, the crystal had breached up and started to determination downstream — without immoderate large crystal jams. 

"However, arsenic the crystal moves downstream, adjacent insignificant crystal jams tin origin abrupt surges successful h2o levels and rise h2o levels successful the area," said Wintermute. 

"Ice conditions and imaginable jam locations should beryllium monitored done the weekend."

The nationalist is asked to use extra caution and debar the country adjacent the river, ditches and streams.