After getting an unwelcome surprise in 2011, the Town of Lampman is ready for any possible flooding issues that may occur this spring.
Both Lampman and the RM of Browning were hit with overland flooding in 2011 and much of that water is still sitting west of the community. With a heavy snowfall over the winter, there are concerns that both Lampman and Benson, which also faced flooding issues two years ago, could be in trouble again.
But, thanks in part to measures taken during the floods of 2011, both communities are in a far better position to deal with this year's runoff.
"We are not so concerned if we only have to get rid of what we have now and we have a couple of little rains here and there. What could hurt us, is getting 15 inches of rain again," said Greg Wallin, the administrator for Lampman and the RM of Browning.
"In the fall of 2010, it rained and rained and water was coming out the top of the ground already. This year, the ground is dry three feet down. It snowed early enough and there is not a ton of frost under the snow so hopefully a lot of that water is just going to soak in. But if it starts raining like in 2011, we could be in trouble again."
Wallin said the Town will start building a dike on the west side of Lampman this week and they also have a couple of culverts to install. He added the bulk of their protection will come from a dike and lift station that was constructed on the northwest corner of the town.
"As far as protecting the town now, I'm not concerned at all. The pump is in place; the only thing we have to do is that little bit on the west side of town and get that prepared. In the RM we did dig that trench so if it gets high enough, it will run down to Alameda," said Wallin who added they are also stockpiling rocks, sand and gravel in the RM.
Although the two-year anniversary of the 2011 floods is approaching, there are still plenty of reminders of the devastation that occurred two years ago. Wallin said a significant amount of land in the RM is still flooded, with the worst areas west of Lampman where a lake of water remains.
"One of our main roads going up to the correction line is still under two feet of water," Wallin said.
In Benson, Reeve David Hoffort said work that was carried out in the aftermath of the 2011 floods should help the village avoid any major issues this year.
"Highways put in a couple of big culverts so I don't foresee any flooding in our town," Hoffort said. "Why we flooded last time was the culvert through the highway wouldn't take it away as fast as it was coming in. We built a high road across the north side of our town with culverts that we could control the flows and Highways put in two culverts going out of town."
As for the rest of the RM, Hoffort said he doesn't expect any flooding as a result of the runoff but cautioned if the area is hit with heavy rains during the spring that could change.
"Overall, we are in a lot better shape than we were two years ago."
