Flood Warning & Forecasting
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:
- Regulating development through planning and permitting
- Maintaining a flood forecasting and warning system
Planning and permitting
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.
Flood Forecasting and Warning
When flooding is possible or about to occur, we issue flood warning messages to municipal emergency management officials and the media. Municipal officials then take action to warn residents and provide emergency services as needed.
We monitor waterways and local weather conditions in real-time to determine potential flood conditions in the Credit River Watershed.
Flood Warning Messages
We issue different levels of messages to warn about the potential threat to people and property.
These messages can be found on our homepage, Facebook account and Twitter account.
Normal Conditions: No flood conditions exist. Note that even during normal conditions, there is a risk to personal safety associated with flowing water.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monitoring and Gauges
We operate a network of 57 real-time monitoring stations throughout the Credit River Watershed, strategically placed to send vital information about current environmental conditions. This allows us to best understand, predict and warn about flooding, threats to water quality and low water levels.
View river and stream water levels in real-time.
Note to Public: CVC’s role during a flooding event is to monitor current watershed conditions and weather forecasts, predict river and creek conditions, and communicate our findings to the public, municipalities and media. For more information about this message please call CVC between 8:30 and 4:30 (Monday to Friday) at 905-670-1615 and ask for the Flood Duty Officer. If you are concerned about high water levels in your area, please contact your municipality. For emergencies requiring police, fire or ambulance, call 9-1-1.
Note to Municipal, Provincial and Conservation staff: For more information about this message please call CVC between 8:30 and 4:30 (Monday to Friday) at 905-670-1615 and ask for the Flood Duty Officer. For after-hours inquiries, please phone our answering service at 1-800-215-8505 whom will forward your message to CVC’s Flood Duty Officer.
Note to media: For more information about this message please call CVC between 8:30 and 4:30 (Monday to Friday) at 905-670-1615 and ask for the Media Information Coordinator. For after-hours inquiries, please phone our answering service at 1-800-215-8505 whom will forward your message to Media Information Coordinator.
