OttawaThe South Nation River is running dry following a hot, dry summer, with the local conservation authority declaring the most severe low water advisory possible.Mayor of the Township of North Stormont urges residents to conserve waterCBC News · Posted: Aug 27, 2025 3:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoThe South Nation River in eastern Ontario is nearly running dry following a hot, dry summer. (Emmanuelle Poisson/Radio-Canada)Michael Trenholme is a keen angler, but the only fish he’s seen in the South Nation River running through Crysler, Ont., recently have been floating dead. He’s lived here for five years but has never seen the weir by the fire station run dry. “It’s definitely a drought,” he said, standing on the dry concrete weir. “We’re probably missing a foot and a half of water…. We’re usually ankle-deep.”With the water levels so low, fishing is out of the question. “It’s all dead fish floating around here,” he said. “There was hundreds of them down here last week, I’m guessing the herons have been picking them off.”This week the South Nation Conservation Authority (SNCA) declared a Level 3 low water advisory — the most serious advisory it issues — for its jurisdiction in eastern Ontario.That includes the township of North Stormont, which comprises a number of villages including Crysler, where residents like Trenholme were not surprised by the advisory. Earlier this month the township issued a total ban on outdoor water use, citing drought-like conditions in eastern Ontario, causing low groundwater levels at local aquifers.Pumps working overtimeWhile the lawn-watering ban was subsequently eased, stringent water use restrictions are still in place. Properties with addresses ending in an odd number may water their lawns on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while their even-numbered neighbours may only water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Watering is only allowed between the hours of 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., while no watering is allowed at all on Sundays.”Ratepayers are strongly encouraged to continue to conserve water, if the community can refrain altogether from consuming water for external purposes, it would be appreciated,” the township said in a statement on Aug. 18.The South Nation Conservation Authority has declared a Level 3 low water advisory, the most severe alert it issues. (Emmanuelle Poisson/Radio-Canada)François Landry, the mayor of the Township of North Stormont, said the low water levels have been straining local infrastructure.”The pumps were working overtime, which was the reason why we implemented the full ban a couple of weeks ago,” he told Radio-Canada.Even though the township now allows watering on alternate days, Landry urged residents to continue restricting use. “We request or would greatly appreciate if nobody waters their lawn,” he said. “Let’s be patient and we will make hopefully the right decisions to not affect any of our infrastructure.”The prolonged dry conditions also have local fire prevention officer Nancy-Ann Gauthier concerned. With new housing developments built closer together, she’s worried about containing a blaze to one home should a fire break out.”It’s not just a question of putting the fire out, it’s a question of protecting the exposures,” she told Radio-Canada. Maintaining a sufficient level in the town’s water tower has become critical from a firefighting perspective, she said, as the alternative is drawing from the depleted South Nation River. “So people need to be very, very vigilant about their water use,” she said.
South Nation River running dry amid drought-like conditions
