Preventing and Protecting Against Flooding

Our role is to protect people and property from flooding. We work to prevent or minimize the impacts of flooding by:

We review development proposals and support decisions that safeguard people and property while protecting natural features. While we can’t prevent flooding from occurring, keeping people and property out of flood-prone areas helps ensure naturally-occurring floods don’t contribute to local emergencies.

We operate a network of 59 real-time monitoring stations throughout the Credit River Watershed, strategically placed to send vital information about current environmental conditions, allowing us to better understand, predict and warn about flooding, threats to water quality and low water levels.

View river and stream water levels in real-time.

Current Flood & Low Water Status

River & Streams

Normal

Lake Ontario Shoreline

Normal

Low Water Conditions

Normal

Flood Warning Messages

When flooding is possible or about to occur, we issue flood warning messages to municipal emergency management officials and the media about the potential threat to people and property. Municipal officials then take action to warn residents and provide emergency services as needed.

These messages can be found on our homepage, Facebook account and Twitter account.

Green block representing normal flood status message.

Normal Conditions

No flood conditions exist. Note that even during normal conditions, there is a risk to personal safety associated with flowing water.

Yellow block representing water safety and flood outlook status statements.

Water Safety

High flows, unsafe banks, melting ice or other factors could be dangerous for recreational users such as anglers, hikers, children, pets, and others. Flooding is not expected.

Yellow block representing water safety and flood outlook status statements.

Flood Outlook

Early notice of the potential for flooding based on weather forecasts calling for heavy rain, snow melt, high winds or other conditions. These factors may cause significant runoff, ice jams, flooding or erosion.

Orange block representing Flood Watch and/or Lake Ontario Shoreline Flood Watch status messages.

Flood Watch and/or Lake Ontario Shoreline Flood Watch

Flooding is possible in specific watercourses or municipalities. Municipalities, emergency services and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should prepare for possible flooding.

Red block representing Flood Warning and/or Lake Ontario Shoreline Flood Warning status messages.

Flood Warning and/or Lake Ontario Shoreline Flood Warning

Flooding is imminent or already occurring in specific watercourses or municipalities. Municipalities and individuals should take action to deal with flood conditions, including possible road closures and evacuations.

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