The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) says water levels in the region are receding but remain dangerously high. “Well, the water levels are starting to drop down. They peaked in most of the watercourses around here on Wednesday, on the 15th [of April]. But they are still really high,” said UTRCA Communications and Marketing Coordinator Eleanor Heagy on Sunday. Heagy says according to stream gauges over the last month, some areas have had as much as 175 millimeters of water, and that has left the ground saturated. Gauges indicated 25 to 75 millimeters of water have fallen in the just the last week. Heagy says, the message is stay away from watercourses at this time. “Don’t drive through flooded areas, don’t walk into them. Take kids and pets away from flooded areas. Stay away from watercourses in general because the stream makes it so muddy and slippery right now. You don’t want to slide into the water. It’s really cold, and fast flowing, and dangerous. So, enjoy it from a distance. Stay away,” she said. The Thames River cleanup had been scheduled to take place this weekend. However, this past week, organizers opted to push the event to April 25 due to the high water levels. “The focus of the cleanup is to get down right by the river, by the watercourses and get the garbage and stuff you don’t want by the water. And when it’s flooded, you can’t get there in the first place. And also, you want the safest conditions possible,” Heagy explained.
