REGINA - The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) is advising the public to be cautious around bodies of water in southeast Saskatchewan ahead of a spring storm that is expected to hit during the next two days.
A Colorado low is expected to move into the southeastern corner of the province overnight Thursday. The system is expected to remain relatively stationary into Saturday, resulting in appreciable precipitation accumulations. South of Highway 1, general accumulations of 40-60 millimetres, are expected from Coronach east to the Manitoba border, with the highest accumulations near the U.S. border.
“Localized accumulations may approach 80 mm (approximately three inches) where imbedded thunderstorms result in heavier downpours,” the WSA said in a news release.
There is the potential for localized flooding and high streamflow in areas where rainfall intensities and accumulations are highest. There is also an increased risk within areas where soil moisture levels remain high and storage available within wetlands is low following the melt of the April 19-20 snowfall event.
“This includes upper portions of the Souris River Basin from Rafferty Dam to Bechard and upper portions of the Long Creek Basin near Radville."
While Boundary, Rafferty and Grant Devine reservoirs are all at or near their full supply levels, there is additional flood storage available at Rafferty and Grant Devine reservoirs that the WSA is prepared to use to reduce flows downstream on the Souris River.
The Boundary to Rafferty Diversion Channel will also be utilized to reduce, or possibly eliminate, the need for releases from Boundary Dam.
“As such, we are not expecting flows on the Souris River downstream of these dams to exceed channel capacities as a result of this event.”
The Water Security Agency (WSA) advises the public to take precautions near water bodies as flows can change quickly. If you see areas of high flow, please keep your distance.
“In the event where a situation exceeds the coping capacities of the local authority or where the local authority requires extra support and/or resources, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) can provide additional assistance.”
The SPSA can be reached by calling 1-800-667-9660.
The WSA also advises communities at risk of imminent flooding can access support with the Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program (EFDRP). The EFDRP provides financial, engineering and technical support to evaluate the potential flood risk to buildings and to identify options to mitigate the risk when flooding is imminent.
Services include client discussions, site visits, hydrological and other technical evaluations, developing mitigation recommendations and cost-share funding for permanent flood defences and temporary relief through pumping.
The WSA says it will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates.
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Meanwhile, the City of Estevan says its roads and drainage crews are prepared for the incoming weather event and have emergency plans in place should they be required. The city would like to advise citizens to ensure that their sump pumps are working and eavestroughs are cleared and facing away from houses in order to reduce the chance of moisture and flooding in and around their homes.
The city is also encouraging the community to stay safe throughout the course of the weather event, and to avoid travel unless necessary in order to ensure emergency services have access to the roads.
