Southern Alberta saw a large amount of ice this season and now that slick surface is melting away.
Henry Van Hierden’s summer pasture is nearly covered with water.
The quick thaw has created an abundance of moisture, prompting farmers to plan ahead and prevent flash flooding.
Van Hierden has a culvert on his property to direct the melting snow.
“Now it’s backed up because of the ice, but by the end of this week it will all be cleared up. We do have a dugout for runoff and it is all sloped that way,” adds Van Hierden.
The overland flooding is causing issues for a large portion of the county. There is currently 5 roads that have been closed due to water flowing over the roads or low lying areas.
The current closures are:
RR 22-4 between Hwy 519 and Twp Rd 10-4.
Twp Rd 12-4 between RR 22-3 and 22-5
RR 22-3 between Twp Rd 12-4 and 13-0
Twp Rd 13-0 between RR 22-1 and 22-2
Lethbridge county crews are keeping an eye on rural roads, and monitoring trouble spots.
“We’ve had a number of frozen culverts but a lot of them have opened up on their own over the weekend, the guys are dealing with the ones that are problems right now. The water follows the natural contours of the land. We have emergency response plans for drainage issues like roads flooding. We have guys on-call. This weekend for example, the foreman that was on-call was pretty darn busy,” adds Kevin Viergutz with the county.
The spike in temperatures has county crews keeping an eye on the weather
All drivers are asked to obey the road closure signs.
Driving through the deep water can be hazardous due to washouts.
“There is quite a bit of frost right now and we will see the roads punching out, that is always a problem for us in the spring,” adds Viergutz.
For now, the spring like temperatures are welcomed by all but county residents will stay on flood watch until the last piece of ice is gone.
Alberta Emergency Alert has issued an overland flooding advisory for spring runoff in a large portion of the province, including southern Alberta.
To view the advisory you can visit:
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