With spring upon us and images of last year's abundance of summer rainfall fresh in our minds, the Town of Carlyle is being proactive in addressing potential runoff issues.
The Town has worked at clearing snow from previous flood prone areas to reduce the snow melt in those areas, as well as ensuring that drainage ditches are cleared to handle the potential runoff.
The Town is also participating in the Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program (EFDRP) offered by Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. The government, in response to the potential high risk of flooding, has contributed $22 million to this program, which will provide "technical and financial assistance to protect homes and businesses against flood damage" according to the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority website.
Some of the activities covered by this program include: de-icing culverts, sandbags, temporary flood dykes, construction of berms and engineering support. Carlyle is one of 136 urban and rural municipalities participating in the program.
Through participation in this program, the Town of Carlyle was able to have an inspection completed by Saskatchewan Watershed of the well site that has created challenges for the town in previous years. Huguette Lutz stated "We don't want ground water to contaminate the water there. We are trying to be as proactive as we can." The Town is currently waiting for a report of inspection results; but in the meantime, have ordered sandbags to sandbag around the well if it becomes a concern.
Additionally, the Government of Saskatchewan launched a new website - www.saskflood.ca - on March 21st to assist Saskatchewan residents with the preparation guidelines for possible flooding in their area. This includes everything from information on stream flows and lake levels to how to construct sand bag levees. The site provides up-to-date monitoring of potential flood prone areas.
As of March 1, the spring runoff potential for this area was above normal. The website states that "above normal precipitation prior to runoff (especially if it occurs as rainfall), and/or a faster than normal melt, could result in significantly higher runoff." The next up-date is available on April 1st.
