It looks like I picked a good week to head to California, judging by the foot of water I drove through at Minot in early June;
The highest flows ever recorded on the Souris are approaching a city whose defenses are destined to be over run. Can the city hold?
Dikes currently in place, recently improved greatly to combat high flows, are now expected to disappear under the traveling torrent. The amount of water flowing with a vengeance down the Souris River Valley is forecast to inundate Minot to a level seven to eight feet higher than the catastrophic and benchmark flood of 1969.
Saddened with that horrific knowledge, officials announced during a late afternoon press conference Monday that very little can be done to stop the powerful onslaught. Massive secondary dikes that were built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to save much of the town from the previous high on the Souris this year fall far short of defending against the impending and rapid rise of the Souris.
[...]
Dalrymple, who conversed with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall on Monday, said he received assurances from the Canadians that all that could be done to prevent high flows was done. Additionally, said Dalrymple, the citizens of Estevan are already enduring flooding hardships that may soon be experienced in Minot as well.
[...]
The flows currently rolling rapidly toward Minot, and even more water projected to follow, is of such volume that it is beyond the comprehension of NWS computer modeling.
I'd like to hear from those of you in the Estevan-Weyburn and surrounding areas in the comments. I know we have lots of readers there.
People are pitching in as best they can without complaint. City workers in Weyburn and Estevan should be praised for their tireless work, most being at it since early Friday.
Not to be too political at a time like this, but a thought comes to mind; has Lingenfelter raised his head out of whatever foxhole he's cowering in? I'd like to take him for his walk across Rafferty right about now.
So far, it sounds like Roche Percee has gotten the worst of it. The village, being in the valley along the Souris River, has always been prone to flooding. I haven't seen many pictures but I am pretty sure at least one of our previous homes, caught between the grid road and dyke, is flooded up to the rafters. The flooding of the village will be difficult for the older folks, especially the widows, who have lived there forever. It is fortunate that only houses not lives were lost.
I'm one of the people flooded out of my home in the Souris Valley. I have lived there for over 50 years and had previously been flooded in 1969 and 1976. We then built permanent dikes to protect our home which were sufficient to take flows of 228 cubic metres/sec. that were the flows in 1976. This year the water was 14 inches above our dikes with flows of 211 cubes because the Sask Watershed Authority only required the coal mine here to install culverts capable of flows of 40 cubes.
The Sask Watershed Authority also kept reducing flows to 50 cubes every chance they could, even though we veterans of the valley kept telling them to keep the flows up and get rid of the water. Twice before this last fiasco, they had to dump 200 cubes all at once because the dams were too full. Even after two mistakes made, they again began to reduce flows until June 18 when they had to dump first 400 cubes, then 550 cubes and now 630 cubes.
Sask Watershed Authority have been blaming SaskPower, the mines, Mother Nature and the US Agreement for all their mistakes but the final decisions were made by the Sask Watershed Authority and there lies the blame for this entire mess.
My only hope now is that there will be a public inquiry and corrections made to address the issues that contributed to this disaster.
A lot of people are in a tough spot here in The Burn. Good spirit though, one woman this morning said they cleared the basement and things are drying in the garage, we lost a lot and the sewer has backed up into the house but its not like we had a fire or something, no one got hurt. Clean it up, stay healthy and move on, Summer is approaching! Great attitude! Good people. Might be a lot tougher for those who were evacuated with waist high water in their house.
Are the dams full yet?
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/story_print.html?id=4978682&sponsor=
... Dwain Lingenfelter that he'd be able to walk across the Rafferty dam without fear of getting much more than his feet wet.
There is just an unbelievable amount of water everywhere. There are multiple highways closed with water flowing over the roadway.
I am working on a project in the Souris River valley east of town and from the arial photos we have taken I would say there is a good 10-15 feet of water up from the original valley.
They were releasing water back in February because of the backed up water remaingin from last year. It might be premature to blame SK Watershed for all of this.
With this much water there is only so much you can do.
Dan
Bienfait, SK
I work for an automotive service which can't name (you see ads on tv for ita regularly). My newscrawler tells me that Hwy 1 from Balgonie to Whitewood (90 miles of hwy) are closed and all traffic being diverted. As far as I could tell from the SK traffic/roads website, there is flooding in this area as well.
I now a lot of people pary for rain to keep the fields from getting to be too dry, but I really don't think these conditions are what anyone had in mind.
God bless the farmers, and I hope the impromptu lakes dry up soon.
Help out and hang in.
People are showing their Saskatchewan spirit and doing the best they can with little or no complaint. Bad time for the village of Roche Percee, I fear the village may never exist again....
We live on what is called "The Hill" in Roche Percee. It is, or was, considered high enough up that it would not be affected by high flood waters.
We have only lived there since 2006, but we've been told that in the history of the village, there has never been so much water come down the river valley. We asked repeatedly when we were considering this as a place to live if serious flooding was a likely scenario, and we were assured over and over again that it might get a little high, but it never floods.
So much for security. The Watershed Authority has done an abyssmal job of keeping water levels down. The flows from the dams should have been raised so much higher so much sooner to avoid this horrible catastrophe. My neighbours, my friends, my community...all have suffered losses and as stated before, Roche Percee may not be able to spring back from this one. It's such a shame because it's a beautiful, peaceful, quiet and secure little place to call home.
I am gobsmacked after viewing this thread. As an Ontarian all I offer today are my thoughts and prayers for you folks on both sides of the border.
To Dan in Bienfait:
People have been flooded 4 times over the last few months and the Sask Watershed Authority keeps doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. What is that the definition of?
Try figuring out how much water would be gone from here at even 100 cubes/sec (which would have flooded hardly anyone) for the month of May then figure out what the Sask Watershed Authority released in May.
The Sask Watershed Authority doesn't know how to do their job. My neighbours knew more about the water coming our way than SWA did. Every time they gave us the flows in May, they would add, "but we think that's high" or "there's lots of room in Rafferty". I guess they just couldn't believe their own lying eyes.
SWA has more to consider in the decision than the effects of one village; ever think the US has any sway in any water levels being sent down there way? Or that you just can't open and close the dams like you can your front door?
River Rat - if people have been flooded 4 times over the past few months, how would letting more water through (your suggestion) during that time have meant less flooding?
The flooded folks will get disaster assistance, the US won't be too pissed off, and we don't have to rebuild some pretty damn expensive structures.
Don't eat lunch downwind from an elephant, don't piss into the rain, and don't buy a house downstream from the big dam.
I suspect that you folks in Saskatchewan have the same p[roblem we have here in Ontari-ari-ario.
A "conservation authority" building dams allegedely for flood control, while their goal is a steady flow of water to dillute efluent from sewage treatment plants.....meaning they are hoarding water to maintain a certain flow year round.
Only a certain peak times such as spring run off do they increase flows. With the result that these "reservoirs" have minimal storage/flood control ability.
To Skite:
I was wondering how long it would take some loon to blame the victims.
I know we are just nameless, faceless entities in the valley to the government (no matter who they may be) but we who have lived here BEFORE THE BIG DAMN DAM WAS BUILT do know something about the river we grew up on. And did anyone, in the Powers That Be, even pick up the phone awhile back and ask the US if they would be willing to take 100 cubes now to forestall 200+ later. I also know we Canadians are very "nice" but do we have to be so "nice" that we are willing to flood our own people to save those of the US. Don't get me wrong, I want to save them too but maybe they might have been willing to share the burden if anyone had bothered to ask.
As for disaster assistance, there is nothing that will compensate people for the type of losses they are suffering.
I'm starting a new club. I'll call it the D&DRD Club. That is the Drain & Dismantle the Rafferty Dam Club. I'd rather take my chances with the natural flow of the river than live downstream from a dam with 50 miles of water behind it run by incompetants.
More coming I'm afraid. Even the North Saskatchewan river is just starting to flood.
Most of the Mountain melt is yet to come.
There is no way the Sk watershed people could have predicted over 20 inches of rain in June to compound an already saturated ground from last fall and then a huge spring run off.
Companies are donating people and equipment to sand bag and dike where ever they can. Unfortunately for many its too late. Property is already under water and no way to access it.
Emergency crews have been rescuing stranded residents using zodiacs and flat bottom boats. That alone is dangerous because you don't know what is under the surface of the water. Its not like its Candle lake or something.
Estevan may end up and island. Many border crossings are closed because you can't get through the valley. Water running over hwy 47 north, 47 south is closed, 39 to the border is closed, 39 is closed past Weyburn.
Water treatment is still operational but who knows for how long. Got another inch of rain yesterday and rained most of today.
Roche Perce has most homes with just the peaks showing.
The dam out flow is 720 m3/sec. The great flood of 79 was 250 on the Souris. Some perspective.
One only sees this stuff on tv. Never thought this would happen here.
I would suspect that an inquiry would be in order and I would suggest that politics be kept out of it.
When I read the above, our road problems are minor. Although a few think locals that we should be the great engineer in the sky. There has not been that much water here since the great snow of the early 1950s.
To all the folks in that stricken area the thoughts and prayers from our household go out to you. I was pleased that Brad Wall left no doubt that the Province's checkbook would be opened to help you out of this mess once its all said and done.
Even the Assiniboine is still insanely high. I just came across the Portage diversion and the water is still touching the bottom of the bridge. Pretty sure it is still at maximum capacity (both the river and the diversion).
I can't imagine what will happen when the record flows on the Souris dump into the Assiniboine.