It’s been really cold in Waterloo region the past few weeks, but local officials say that doesn’t mean local lakes and ponds have ice thick enough for people to be on it.

The City of Waterloo is warning people to stay off the ice after noticing people walking on Silver Lake in Waterloo Park. Other municipalities also warn people to remain off stormwater management ponds with signs reminding people there’s no skating, swimming or fishing in the water.

Jessica Kellerman is the city’s manager of stormwater operations and construction. She says run-off from roads can end up in these ponds, meaning the ice isn’t as stable as people think.

“A lot of these ponds especially are meant as stormwater management infrastructure for flood control and for quality control of the water in our city and so because of that reason, the water that is going to be collected in our waterways and our ponds and our lakes, a lot of the time, will include salts that we’re putting on our roads, material that are going on our roads, material that we’re placing on any other surfaces where water would run off and then go into some of these water feature,” she said.

“What ends up happening is we end up collecting road salts and contaminants of various natures and what those can do is it can create an unstable ice surface.”

Kellerman notes there are plenty of options for outdoor skating in the city, including rinks operated by neighbourhood groups.

“I get wanting to go out and take advantage of the weather and do some recreational activities on ice surfaces,” she said.

“There’s no way for us to know how thick ice is on any waterway within Waterloo at any given time. We don’t know where salt deposits might collect and cause brittle ice or different surfaces. And so we just recommend across the board to avoid going onto our ponds or lakes or even the creeks because of that reason.”

Ice fishing open in certain parks

Ice fishing has opened at Grand River Conservation Authority parks including Belwood Lake, Guelph Lake, Pinehurst Lake and Shade’s Mills in Cambridge.

“Conditions are being monitored closely at these locations to ensure that ice thickness meets safety requirements. When the ice is too thin or unstable due to reservoir operations, the program is suspended,” the conservation authority says.

People who want to go ice fishing at the parks are encouraged to check the conservation area activities status page to ensure the activities are operating.

Clear catch basins to prevent flooding

After another cold warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada was issued on Friday, mild temperatures are expected midweek with temperatures sitting closer to the freezing mark on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Flurries are also in the forecast, so Kellermen recommends people take time to clear out around drains near their homes to prevent melting water from potentially backing up onto the street and causing flooding.

She says it’s also good to do throughout the month, as Feburary and March can be a time when more snow-thaw cycles are seen.

“Our catch basins along our roads are where all of the runoff is ultimately going to end up going,” she said. 

“If they’re blocked, causing roadway flooding or just nuisance problems within your neighborhood. So if you can clean off catch bases in the winter time close to your home, that is super helpful for our winter control operations as well as our stormwater management planning for the spring.”