![\"During](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rt-orr-dam.jpg\")
During a heavy rain storm on Thursday, July 24, the RT Orr Dam automatically opened to prevent flooding, but got stuck shortly after due to debris. (Facebook\/Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.)<\/p>\nOfficials with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority say it’s not clear how long it could take for Stratford’s Lake Victoria to refill back to normal, with Environment Canada forecasting little in the way of rain over the next week.<\/p>\n
Water levels in the lake plummeted late last month after a sluice gate at the RT Orr Dam became wedged open by environmental debris, resulting in the lake draining at a rate of roughly 25 millimetres per hour.<\/p>\n
According to the conservation authority, the gate had opened automatically during a heavy rain event on July 24 to prevent flooding, but then couldn’t close. Conservation authority crews managed to clear away the debris on July 31, after water levels had fallen by roughly two metres.<\/p>\n
The reservoir has risen by roughly\u00a0half a metre from natural runoff, but unless several days of steady rain comes, it’s hard to say if and when it will refill this season, said Emily Chandler, UTRCA’s communications and marketing specialist.<\/p>\n
“It could take that long to even get back up to the levels where it was at before,” she said, adding that UTRCA staff are still on site regularly checking levels at the Orr Dam and further upstream.<\/p>\n
“We’re doing a bit of a balancing act, trying to have that reservoir refill, but also maintain the flows downstream so that we can maintain the aquatic species that are there.”<\/p>\n
During a heavy rain storm on Thursday, July 24, the RT Orr Dam automatically opened to prevent flooding, but got stuck shortly after due to debris. (Facebook\/Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.)<\/p>\n
UTRCA staff managed to move roughly 1,000 mussels that were stranded in the muck back into water, she said. They were initially concerned that turtles would relocate to other water sources and may cross area roads, but the conservation authority says that didn’t happen.<\/p>\n
London MorningDebris stuck in Stratford’s lake sees record-low water levels<\/p>\n
Lake Victoria in Stratford has been draining after debris got stuck in a gate of the RT Orr Dam. Kelan Herr, the co-owner of a Boathouse in Stratford, shared his observations of this incident.<\/p>\n
In the face of an uncertain refill timeline, local businesses and organizations who rely on the reservoir have had to make some unplanned adjustments.<\/p>\n
The Stratford Dragon Boat Club has postponed its junior program for teens 11 to 18, while its adult teams have relocated to Wildwood Conservation Area to practice for an upcoming race this weekend, the club’s president, Ken Gene, said in a message.<\/p>\n
“We are still preparing for the [Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival] on Sept. 13. I’m confident the water level will be back up, but there are contingency plans for the Rotary Club of Stratford to move the event, possibly to Wildwood Conservation Area,” he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Kelan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/kelan-herr-the-boathouse.JPG\")
Kelan Herr and his family have run The Boathouse for 60 years. (Submitted by Kelan Herr)<\/p>\n