Watch above: Rising waters are putting homes and business at risk in the town of Manitou Beach, Sask. Calvin To looks at the measures being taken to prevent flooding.
MANITOU BEACH, Sask. – Rising waters are putting homes and business at risk in the town of Manitou Beach, Sask. Since the winter, levels have increased 10 inches, pushing the water line further and further inland.
The town has already lost part of its boardwalk and most of its beach. Now, historic buildings like Danceland could be damaged if the water continues to rise.
“We were having a dance the night that the water went over the berm, splashed over the berm and filled up our parking lot,” explained Millie Strueby, who runs the local dance spot along with her husband Arnie. Since then, the couple have added several feet to the barrier, and no water has come over. But the concern remains.
“We still have seepage of course and we’re still pumping, we have two pumps going all the time,” said Strueby.
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Over the past several years, heavy rains and snowfalls have led to higher water levels on Little Manitou Lake, one of Saskatchewan’s few salty bodies of water. It has no outlet, but plenty of ways for water to get in. Evaporation is the only way water leaves the lake.
The province has partnered with the town to put up a series of berms, or protective barriers, to prevent water from coming ashore. Still, protection is not guaranteed.
“When you have these protection works and wave action comes in from high winds, that also can pose a threat even if the water level is not high because you have the wave action hitting against them,” said Patrick Boyle with the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.
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Tourism is a big part of the town’s economy, and locals are worried that flooding could reduce the number of people who visit.
“We depend on tourism here, and we’re doing everything we can to mitigate any disasters that might come,” said Mayor Eric Upshall.
When he first built his house ten years ago, the water’s edge was 50 metres away. Today his house sits on the shoreline, with a homemade berm keeping the water at bay.
In the past couple weeks, the water has receded a few inches, but Upshall says July is usually a time for rainfall – that could easily bring levels further up. For now, though, the berms are doing their job and keeping the town dry.
According to the mayor, local taxpayers have spent about $1 million on the construction of berms around the lake shore, and another $500,000 repairing damages from previous floods.
The small community is home to about 250 permanent residents, but numbers swell in the summer.
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