Fontas River flood watch still in effect

UPDATE: As of 3 p.m. Monday afternoon, the mouth of the river was recording a flow of 534 cubic metres per second.

A flood watch is still in effect for Fontas River, according to the River Forecast Centre.

The centre upgraded from a high streamflow advisory to a flood watch Saturday morning.

Snowmelt and the increased precipitation over the past week have contributed to high flows on the river, the centre said in a statement.

Prior to the weekend, the river had a trend of low flows for a few days before levels started to increase again.

The centre reported that the river was flowing at 500 cubic metres per second at the mouth and rising, which is between a five to ten year return period flow.

“There is uncertainty in the modelled forecast for the Fontas River, however, conditions suggest that flows could exceed the 10-year return period (550-600 m3/s) over the weekend or early next week,” said the centre.

A floor watch occurs when river levels are rising and will approach or may exceed bankfull, according to the River Forecast Centre.

 “Flooding of areas adjacent to affected rivers may occur.”