Flood watch: Sask. experts predict spring runoff conditions

The spring runoff throughout much of the province is currently expected to be below normal, but there is an exception.

Devastated by floods in the spring and then hit by record snowfalls and blizzards during the winter, it appears the Estevan, Sask. area could be looking ahead to another tough season of flooding.

“It’s something to be aware of certainly,” Water Security Agency spokesman Patrick Boyle said, adding that a more detailed forecast will be available around March.

A number of factors go into calculating spring runoff, Boyle said.

“The first one is the conditions in the fall, the moisture conditions. Then going forward, we’re looking at the accumulation of snow, and that’s where we’re at currently,” Boyle said.

“We’re starting to see that picture, but really we have six to 10 more weeks of winter and snowfall potential so that could change.”

Weather during the spring melt can also affect the runoff, he said. “Ideally we like to see 5 C to -5 C swing, a slow progressive melt,”

Boyle also added that rainfall can also have a significant impact on the spring melt.

When Estevan had flooding problems last year, they were largely caused by heavy rainfall, Boyle said.

“Those ones are incredibly difficult to predict and even to react to,” he said.

The city is hoping it won’t have the same heavy rains it had last year, and it’s taking flood protection measures, such as building up roadways and installing more culverts, Estevan’s Mayor Roy Ludwig said.

“The main concern that we have would be rainfall in the spring, and that’s something of course we can’t control. But if we get a lot of rain like we have got other years, it could get serious pretty quickly,” Ludwig added.

The severe weather that hit Estevan over the last year has had a negative impact on the city’s budget but Ludwig is cautiously optimistic about the future.

After last year’s floods, SGI Canada introduced new coverage in October 2016 to protect its customers from the high costs of water damage.

“So if there’s an overflow of a body of water or if there’s localized flooding due to torrential rain events, this coverage would indemnify the customer if there’s a claim,” SGI Canada’s senior director for personal line products, Kurtis Reeder said.

Reeder also added that it’s important for customers to speak with their insurance broker.

“If we look at even last year, 60 per cent of SGI Canada claims were water-related, so water is a cause of loss. It’s increasing in frequency and severity, so there is a need for customers to protect themselves for flooding events,” he said.

To help prevent flooding, Reeder recommends homeowners clear the snow about two metres away from the foundation of their home.

“It’s also important to make sure your downspouts are connected and that they extend away from the foundation of your home,” he explained.

“And come spring, it’s very important to make sure that the yard is properly graded, so that as it rains, it will run the rainwater away from the foundation of your home.”