The RM of Stanley has declared itself a disaster area while the RM of Cana will soon follow suit in response to rampaging spring runoffs that have destroyed dozens of roads and forced the closure of scores of others.
Both RMs declared themselves disaster areas last year but the unusually wet fall - which saw water flowing throughout the winter - plus a heavy snowpack have compounded the problem, resulting in similar disaster action by the RMs this year.
The damage sustained by roads and culverts and the cost of repairs could run up to $500,000 in Cana RM, according to Reeve Robert Almasi, while in Stanley RM, there could also be a $500,000 price tag, estimates Reeve Ken Petlock.
"I haven't had a chance to count the number but I would say 65-70 per cent of the roads are washed out, either washed out or closed or culverts have failed," said recently.
"It seems like it's consistent right across from the northwest corner to the southeast corner. We have issues right across the RM," Almasi says.
Cana RM is experiencing the same widespread damage with some residents in the southeast and others to the northwest actually stranded after their roads were washed away or covered by water, Petlock says, adding with the amount of snow and water in the northern portion of the RM, problems could persist for another couple weeks.
"We have 69 places where we have roads washed out completely or water running over the main grids," Petlock says.
"As for closed roads, there's got to be a dozen different places closed off... Today alone we lost two big culverts, two roads. One is on the 617 grid south of Goodeve and the other is southwest of Duff. The water is undermining alongside the culverts and the road just collapses."
The extent of the damage, Almasi says, can be illustrated by the status of roads between the highways through the RM:
"From No. 10 (highway) to No. 9 (highway) the only grid we have is the Brewer grid and it's washed out in three spots so there is no east-west connection between No. 10 and No. 9 highway other than No. 15 highway.
"North-south it's almost the same. We've only got a few northsouth roads you can actually cross the RM. It's bad news."
Petlock says residents are coping as best they can. In one case, the grade by a farm near Goodeve has been washed away six times since last year and the only access now is by tractor.
In another instance, the RM cleared the snow from a secondary road southwest of Melville to allow several families passage after their main road was washed out. One of the families drives from their yard by tractor, through water, to a vehicle parked on the other side.
Petlock says the water levels have dropped the last couple days but the RM is bracing for more to come.
"With the warm temperatures we're going to get another shot especially this way to Birmingham, the Kaposvar Creek and Crescent Creek. There's a lot of snow and water to come yet. I think it will take two weeks for it to start slowing down where we can actually work at trying to repair some of these roads," Petlock suggests.
And once the runoff slows down, the RMs are going to have difficulty acquiring material and lining up contractors to undertake repairs.
"The next thing will be accessing culverts because everybody is in the same situation and there is only about three culvert manufacturers in Western Canada. (There's) a shortage of culverts because of big demand.
"And getting aggregate to hold (newly installed culverts) in because just umping gravel doesn't work. It'll wash out again. Most of the pits where we go to get our aggregate from are under water," Almasi explains.
There's a huge demand for contractors and their equipment, Petlock points out, saying: "All the contractors, they're just running in circles steady."
Both reeves are concerned about people's safety - in this instance, people who drive around just to view the flooding.
"People aren't respecting the barricades. The barricades are there for a reason. The road might look passable but there's only a crust on top and it's washed out underneath. We've had about four vehicles go through (the roads) already - no injuries but some serious damage," Almasi says.
"If there's a barricade, stay out. It's a safety issue. We don't want to see somebody get hurt or killed. Some of those washouts are serious," Almasi explains.
Petlock issues a similar warning. "In a lot of these places the people are just driving around. They should realize that the road can give way at any time. It's flagged for a reason and they shouldn't just be driving and spectating. It's very dangerous."
For the most part, people have been very helpful, Petlock says, providing everything from water pumps to heavy equipment to help the RM.
