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Wet spring but no flooding expected in P.A. region

Mar 13, 2018 | 5:00 PM

The significant recent snowfalls could make for a wet spring, but Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency says they don’t expect to see flooding in the Prince Albert region. 

The WSA predicted Prince Albert and northeast Saskatchewan will see above-average water levels heading into the spring, and issued an updated outlook Tuesday. The WSA’s Patrick Boyle told paNOW that runoff should be just slightly above normal this spring in the Prince Albert region due to the heavy snowfall earlier this month. A slow melt would be ideal, Boyle added, and temperatures seem to be cooperating.

“We’re in a good spot in that area,” he said. “We’re looking for plus five during the day, minus five at night; kind of a freeze-thaw cycle that has a gradual and slow melt.”

Agrologist George Lewko said he doesn’t expect the significant snowfalls to cause many issues this spring.

“The 12 or 13 inches of snow that we did get is probably only going to translate into one or two inches of actual precipitation,” Lewko said. “It’s going to be wetter than what I was hoping for, but it’s not going to be terrible, I think.”

The WSA originally predicted below-normal runoff across southern Saskatchewan, but recent snowfalls have now pushed those levels up to near or above-normal levels. Still, an area stretching southeast from Kindersley through Swift Current and Moose Jaw and down to Estevan is projected to see a below-average runoff.

The WSA has projected adequate water supplies in all major reservoirs this year. The organization said it will look to maximize storage at most managed lakes and reservoirs across southern Saskatchewan in 2018, and noted good water flows on both Saskatchewan rivers are expected due to the heavy snowpack along eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

 

charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt