Flood watch in effect for Grand River watershed

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has issued a flood watch for the entire Grand River watershed.

The GRCA says warmer temperatures later this week will come with 10-15 mm of rain across the watershed. This will result in snow melting and increased runoff into local waterways.

It's expected water flows will start to increase Wednesday and remain elevated into next week.

"We expect to see a little bit of flooding in some low-lying areas — those areas that are typically prone to spring flooding," Cam Linwood, communications coordinator at GRCA, said in an interview.

The GRCA is asking residents and businesses in those areas to be prepared.

"We want to make sure they're fully aware and fully prepared, so we're asking them to obviously take some of those typical actions they would normally take when they're expecting spring flooding," Linwood said.

"But also at the same time be aware of their local municipal flood response plans, so know where those flood messages are going to come from and know some of those actions they should take if necessary."

The warmer weather also means that ice on the river is more prone to break up and shift. Environment Canada's forecast is calling for double-digit temperatures mid-week, with 12 C on Wednesday and 11 C on Thursday.

Linwood also reminded people to stay away from waterways.

"As the flows get up, and those riverbanks are very slippery at this time of year, we can see people get into trouble very quickly," he said.