Over the weekend of July 29, Weyburn's River Park campground was re-opened to the public for the first time in 44 days.
River Park was one of the campgrounds that was hit hardest by the floods in southeastern Saskatchewan this year. River Park is just off Highway 39 in Weyburn and right on the shore of the Souris River. The entire park was underwater earlier this summer when the water levels rose high enough in the Souris River that it began to flow into the park, after a deluge of rain on June 17.
The water quickly reached the permanent dikes set up around the park, and the water settled there for some time. At the time park officials expected that the park would be closed for the rest of the season. Much to the relief of park officials these expectations were not met.
"(The park) was under water so we had to let the ground dry. It's mostly dry now, but there are some wet patches near the river. Our number one priority was to get the electrical supply and facilities operational," said Claude Morin, superintendent of public works and parks for the City of Weyburn.
Electricity is back at the park, and all the facilities are up and running. However, there is still a lot of work to do before the park is back to pre-flood conditions.
"The grooming will take a long time. Lots of the trees and shrubs were damaged during the flood. The grass looks really dead in some areas, but it looks fine in others. We don't know if all the grass will all be able to come back. We'll probably have to work on the grounds through the fall and next spring to restore them," said Morin.
Despite only recently reopening River Park is bouncing back quite quickly. The park is already near capacity as reservations for spots continue to come in. On Wednesday, many of the campsites that were not yet filled had signs on the power outlets stating that they would be occupied soon.
Morin believes that the quick revitalization of the park is due to the number of hockey camps that take place in Weyburn during August. River Park has proven to be a popular place to stay for people who are visiting Weyburn for the camps.
