Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
In July, 2022, an SHA notice posted on the resort village’s Facebook page warned people to avoid swimming or skiing and to keep children and pets away from the water. The village later levels of toxic blue-green algae were 600 times higher than recommended for public recreation. This year, it’s a different story. “We don’t have any issues in terms of blue-green algae and E. coli,” said Mattick. “So it’s good for swimming or whatever you want to do.”
The province’s Water Security Agency is continuing flood mitigation efforts in Saskatchewan, with renewed funding for ongoing flood mapping efforts in south and central Saskatchewan. More than $2 million has been earmarked in the 2023-24 budget as an investment into the agency’s Flood Hazard Identification Mapping Program. Through the program, the WSA conducts mapping and technical work to evaluate risk for communities identified to be in potential flooding zones. The purpose is to understand where protection or mitigation work is needed, to prevent significant harm from possible flood damage, according to the province.
Dare we say spring has finally come to Saskatchewan? It sure seems like it. After a weekend of warmer than usual weather, Tuesday brought even warmer temperatures across much of the province, meaning the snow and ice kept melting. The Water Security Agency (WSA) advised the public on Tuesday of the potential for ice jams on Swift Current Creek, the Moose Jaw River, the Qu'Appelle River and the Wood River after recent rapid melting and runoff.
Almost three years after a major Saskatchewan irrigation project was announced, the head of a group representing rural municipalities says the provincial government should "get on" with it — while an organization that represents First Nations says the province should have consulted with those communities more. But where is the Lake Diefenbaker project now?
The Water Security Agency’s (WSA) Conditions at Freeze-up Report says the province is experiencing a dry winter in most areas. Early summer and spring precipitations were higher than normal while the last half of summer and fall experienced soil conditions drier than normal at freeze-up. Southern and central Saskatchewan have adequate supplies of later water reservoirs.
Jennifer Bauer was doing her dishes when she noticed something was wrong with the water coming out of her tap. It was brown. "I was like, 'what the heck?'" she said. "I can't even describe it. It was so disgusting." That's when the mother of six found out that her town of Assiniboia had been placed on a precautionary drinking water advisory the day before.
On his ranch, Doug Wilson walks past an old abandoned three-storey home and stands at the bank of what had once been the flowing Maple Creek. The creek is dry again this year as brittle, dead tree debris litters the edges. Grass is growing where, at one time, water would have normally passed by. “Over the last 20 years we’ve seen a huge amount of tree loss,” Wilson said earlier this summer near the southwest Saskatchewan town. “It’s dying. The whole area is dying.” Wilson relies on the water to feed his cattle. It represents his livelihood and helps him survive. But over the last few years, he’s had to reduce his herd size from 600 cattle to 400. He’s also had to pay for someone else’s feed because he’s been short on water.
The Saskatchewan government said it wants to know exactly what the federal government is looking for if it is testing water samples from farmers’ dugouts. Water Security Agency minister Jeremy Cockrill said the government received multiple reports from farmers last week that federal vehicles were on their land. A tweet from Pense farmer and former Western Canadian Wheat Growers president Levi Wood showed a photograph of a Government of Canada vehicle and two people.
The Water Security Agency has prepared the Water Supply Conditions and Outlook report for July. While rainfall varied across the province in June, lake and reservoir levels across most of Saskatchewan are near normal and surface water supplies have improved over the past month. In northern Saskatchewan, precipitation varied from well below normal in the far northwest to well above normal in southern and eastern areas. Thunderstorm activity resulted in precipitation varying locally as well. The additional runoff in the Churchill River Basin has resulted in flows being above normal across the basin.
For many southern Saskatchewan producers still reeling from last year’s drought conditions, a recent report on the spring runoff outlook may not offer much comfort. And perhaps no comfort at all, for those in the southwest. A news release, sent to accompany the Water Security Agency’s (WSA) March 1 report, states the organization “is currently expecting a below to well below normal snowmelt runoff response over much of southern Saskatchewan.” “Only areas east of Moose Jaw are forecast to receive near or above normal runoff,” the release reads.
Spring may be just around the corner in Saskatchewan. Daytime temperatures above freezing this week are a welcome relief from what has been a long, cold winter. Temperatures in Regina are forecast to hit 8 C by the end of the week, while Saskatoon will see highs of 6 C, Swift Current could hit double digits and even Uranium City will reach a high of –1 C.
A preliminary report from the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) states the spring melt rate is expected to have a significant impact on runoff yields in southern areas of the province. How that impacts subsoil moisture levels or surface water supplies depends on the speed of the melt, the report states. Most southern regions experienced very dry conditions last summer and into the fall freeze-up, and a below snowmelt runoff potential is being forecast by the WSA.
Weather modeling data indicates that parts of central and northern Saskatchewan could see wetter than normal conditions between December and March, and near normal precipitation for the rest of Saskatchewan. Due to minimal runoff in spring 2021 followed by what was generally a hot and dry summer, most agricultural areas of the province are currently experiencing drier than normal moisture conditions. Conditions are driest starting in the central area of the province around Saskatoon and extending in a south westerly direction toward Rosetown, down through Leader and then to the Maple Creek area.
The Water Security Agency (WSA), with the support of Natural Resources Canada, is offering free online workshops called AgH2Onward to introduce farmers and ranchers to the Agricultural Water Management program in Saskatchewan, the process and benefits of drainage approvals, and innovative techniques to best manage water on their land. The free workshops are being offered until April 2022 and include two half-day sessions.
The public is invited to take part in a couple of open house events this week to learn more about the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Projects. The 10 year multi-project is expected to provide a major boost for the Province's agriculture sector. Once completed, the Lake Diefenbaker Projects will provide over 500,000 acres of agricultural land in southern and central Saskatchewan with water. Patrick Boyle, the Executive Director of Communications with the Water Security Agency, says they are holding a couple of open house events this week so that people have a better understanding of the work that is being planned and the impact it will have for the areas.
One of Saskatchewan’s most far-flung settlements is inching closer to clean drinking water. Uranium City residents hope the promised improvements to the community’s water treatment plant are closer to reality, but progress is slow, noted Dean Classen, who is chair of the northern settlement’s board. In 2001, the provincial Water Security Agency handed a precautionary drinking water advisory to the small community near the Northwest Territories border. An emergency boil water advisory has been in place since 2015.
Uranium City residents may soon be able to turn on their taps and have clean drinking water, something they haven't had in decades. The Water Security Agency issued a precautionary drinking water advisory for the tiny northern community in May 2001 and an emergency boil water advisory in February 2015. Both those advisories are still in effect. According to the latest provincial auditor's report, the province is in trying to secure $1.7 million in federal funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to fix the Uranium City water treatment plant.
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities is worried about a proposal to create a federal water agency. In a media release issued March 25, SARM said the creation of a Canada Water Agency (CWA) causes concern and raises questions about how the overlap of federal regulations will impact provincial rules.
Water treatment operators in Coronach, Sask., had an unwelcome surprise Monday morning when they found the town's water treatment plant had been broken into overnight. This meant the water reservoirs that serve the 650-person town may have been contaminated. The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency has put the town under a 'do not use' advisory. This means the tap water in Coronach should not be used for anything — not drinking, not showers, not even if it's boiled — until the advisory is lifted.
