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.
The Yukon government is directing the owners of the Minto Mine to brace for a heavy spring melt, and to take some needed measures now to avoid a tailings pond spill into the environment. The territory is experiencing its fourth consecutive year of above-average snow pack, and that's raised concerns about whether the melt might overwhelm the mine's water storage capacity. The mine site is about 40 kilometres from the community of Pelly Crossing, Yukon.
A flash flood led the southwestern Manitoba municipality of Boissevain-Morton to declare a state of emergency Wednesday, a municipal councillor says, as the spring snow melt sent a torrent of water gushing over frozen farm fields and washing out roads. The municipality estimates that at least 70 per cent of roads in the southern part of Boissevain-Morton, which is south of Brandon, were unsafe for travel due to washouts and overland flooding, according to a Wednesday Facebook post.
Swift Current, Sask., has been experiencing flooding over the last few days due to the spring melt, so much so that the city called an official state of emergency at 5 p.m. CST Tuesday night. As of 4 p.m. CST Wednesday, the city remained under that state of emergency, as water levels continued to be high. The city said the decision to declare the emergency was meant as a proactive measure, as there is the potential of increased spring water run-off. The city said the source of the flooding is the Swift Current Creek.
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.
First Onsite Property Restoration, Canada’s leading property restoration company, marks the end of winter and first day of spring (next week, March 20) with the release of The Spring Melt, a survey that examines Canadians’ concerns, perceptions, and property readiness amid ever-changing weather patterns. Commissioned by First Onsite, the survey of more than 1500 Canadian adults found that three-in-five people are worried about the damage caused by severe rains and flooding (58%).
Each year heading into spring melt, B.C. tries its best to predict how much water will runoff into Okanagan Lake and other water bodies in the province. It’s important information as the provincial government manages the lake level using a dam in Penticton and has to strike the right balance to ensure sufficient water in the lake to last through the hot and dry summer, but not so much it causes flooding.
A flood warning was issued for Carmacks, Yukon, Tuesday as the Yukon River continues to rise near the community. "Low lying areas are currently flooding," reads a news release from the Yukon government's Emergency Measures Organization (EMO). The river level rose by 21 cm in the last 24 hours, according to EMO. Part of the rise is because of rain. The weather forecast calls for more rain on Wednesday and then some clearing.
The mayor of Fort Simpson, N.W.T. said he is feeling trepidation as May approaches, after the community dealt with devastating flooding that time last year. Sean Whelly said the combination of snowfall and water levels, plus a late spring is raising anxieties in the town. "We've been warned by the territorial government that we're at high risk to experience some flooding again this year, so we're concerned," he said.
Manitoba's flood forecaster has downgraded the province's risk of a major flood due to the slow spring melt for the second time in two weeks. The weather the past two weeks has been "very favourable," with no major precipitation and temperatures near 0 C, and it's expected to remain that way into the first week of April, said Fisaha Unduche, executive director of hydrologic forecasting and water management with Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure.
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.
Simon Mitchell of the World Wildlife Fund and Natalie Deseta of the Nashwaak Watershed Association say planting trees, shrubs and grasses along the river and its tributaries can help reduce the risk of bad flooding in spring and from extreme rain events. "When we're thinking about flooding," said Mitchell, "our biggest issue is the frequency and intensity at which these events come." Mitchell is a habitat specialist who studies the St. John River and a vice president with the Canadian WWF based in the Nackawic area.
