The expected above normal spring runoff has raised flooding concerns for reeves of rural municipalities in this area, but they believe their preparations in anticipation of the potential for high runoff will mitigate any disastrous consequences.
“We’re just waiting to see what’s going to happen, but I think we’ve got most of our culverts cleaned out that we can clean out,” said Fred Wilson, Reeve of the RM of Dundurn. “There is not much else we can do. That storm we had two weeks ago really moved the snow pattern around, so we’re not exactly sure what’s going to happen. It put some pretty extreme snowdrifts in some places, but it’s going to take a while for that to melt down. That actually did reduce our flood problems a little bit.”
Wilson said the provincial Water Security Agency (WSA) informed them that they were looking at a “fairly extensive flood” a few weeks ago, but the slow melt that has occurred through April has reduced that concern. He said the bad flood of 2006 also provided the RM with increased measures of reducing flood waters from washing out roads in the municipality.
“We have a fairly extensive watershed that starts northwest of Bladworth and all that water runs up through Dundurn in the springtime,” he said. “It crosses Highway 15 and west of Hanley.”
The flood of 2006 went over Hwy 15 and took out some roads in the Rosedale municipality and backed up an area northwest of Dundurn that normally fills up and drains out towards the river, said Wilson. He said they had some roads that were under water for about six weeks in 2006.
“We have lifted the roads that were flooded out that time another foot and a half, so if (this year’s) the same flood as 2006, we figure we can still handle it.”
The WSA released their April forecast this past week predicting an above normal runoff for the majority of the province with some areas expected to have the potential for a very high runoff and flooding. The rural municipalities of Craik and Big River, which is near the villages of Imperial and Etters Beach, are predicted to have above normal potential runoff this spring.
To read more please see the April 15 print edition of The Davidson Leader.