Sudbury spring melt watchers eye region for flooding risks

Morning North4:07Measuring water content in the snow to anticipate spring flooding

As we head into spring, conservation authorities are preparing for warmer temperatures and melting snow by measuring the water content in the snow to determine if we'll see some flooding. The CBC's Megan Thomas was out last winter to see how it's done.As temperatures eventually start to warm up, various agencies are working to predict the kind of spring melt we can expect.

Staff with conservation authorities like Conservation Sudbury have been out taking snow samples to determine how much water content is in the snow.

• Measuring snow pack one part of predicting flood risk

But business partners are also involved in preparations, including Ontario Power Generation, which operates hydro dams on rivers around the province.

"There's a bit of snow-pack right across the province," spokeperson Neil Kelly said.

"It's been cold, especially in the last month, so that snow hasn't gone anywhere. The ground was already full. So depending on how quickly it all starts to melt and how much rain we get in the spring, that will determine how much water we have."

Kelly predicted that "if we get a lot of rain in the spring, we are going to have a lot of water."
    
Conservation Sudbury will hold a meeting later this week to start work on spring melt preparations.