Pictured: Morrison Dam, which is within the ABCA's watershed | Photo by B. Shakyaver
The Water Response Team has lifted the Level 1 Low Water Advisory for the Ausable River watershed, bringing water conditions back to normal.
Officials say the change comes after a long period of dry weather earlier in the year. Conditions improved thanks to heavy snowfall in December and a snowmelt and runoff event in mid-December 2025. The Bayfield River watershed also returned to normal levels after its low water advisory was lifted in November.
With winter now underway, the Water Response Team says it is hopeful water levels will stay close to seasonal norms through the winter and into the spring.
Water Response Team Chair Ray Chartrand thanked local industries and residents who voluntarily reduced water use during the dry summer and fall. He says those efforts played an important role in protecting water supplies and helped prevent further low water advisories.
The Water Response Team was created in 2001 following drought conditions and continues to monitor water levels across the region. The team includes representatives from major water users, local municipalities, provincial ministries, and conservation authorities.
Staff with the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority will continue to monitor weather and streamflow conditions and will keep the public informed if anything changes during the winter months.