Click to Donate:

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/rotary-club-of-stratford-charitable-foundation/p2p/Fill_The_River_Challenge

Mother Nature Exceeds Forecast by 400% August 28,2025

The Avon River needs to be full for the Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival to occur and after it drained in early August it didn’t look like this was possible. We’ve been working closely with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) to secure a permit to pump water into the Avon River to supplement whatever Mother Nature provided. The pump was set up and successfully tested this morning, and we were ready to go.

But sometimes Mother Nature steps in with a better plan! Late this afternoon, we learned from Chris Tasker at the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) that Stratford received 23 mm of rain today—400% more than expected. The result? The Avon River is full and flowing over both dams. With water levels exactly where we need them, there’s no need to pump, and the MECP won’t need to issue a permit.

We are winding down the pumping operation, but we don’t see this as wasted effort. Preparing over the past month meant that if the rain hadn’t come, we were ready. Think of it as having a fire truck on standby—better to have it and not need it than the other way around! We have incurred costs that you can help us offset by donating at Canada Helps with the following link:

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/rotary-club-of-stratford-charitable-foundation/p2p/Fill_The_River_Challenge

Thanks to the rain and our readiness, the Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival is right on track!

Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival
Robert Ritz, Chair
519-271-4603