REGINA – Localized flooding in some areas north east of Regina is taking many landowners by surprise. The area hasn’t had much precipitation; however the sloughs are at capacity and as a result some homes and fields are flooding.
“Water has brought the worst out in people.”
The Rural Municipalities of Lipton and Kellross have both been approved for the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP).
“We thought we might get some water, but we never thought we’d get this much,” said Allan Resener. He and his wife have a home on the northern edge of the RM of Lipton. “My wife got out of bed at about 6:45 a.m. and stepped into about a foot and a half of ice cold water.”
Their home also flooded last summer, so as a precaution the couple built a dike to keep the water at bay.
However, a week ago and much to their surprise, the water came rushing in from the opposite direction.
“When a culvert unthawed, it just came through one night,” said Resener. “I was sick. I was sick. It was basically start over again and I didn’t know if I wanted to do that.”
Just across the highway from Resener’s property, the Rural Municipality of Kellross is dealing with major road issues. This is the seventh year in a row the RM has applied for the PDAP and many claims from previous years have yet to be dealt with.
“I think if it wasn’t for the PDAP programs, and the money we received for building this last five years, the RM would be broke by now,” said Donald Bashutski, deputy reeve of the RM of Kellross.
One road just west of Leross has been impassable since 2010. The water continues to rise and is now estimated to be 22 feet deep.
Bashutski said it’s becoming more difficult to convince landowners for permission to pump excess water on their land.
“Some are hesitant because they’ve already had enough water for the last couple of years. They just don’t want any more water,” said Bashutski. “We’ve started to find the water has brought the worst out in people.”