Scammer
Banned
Saskatchewan and Manitoba have agreed on a plan to alleviate the risk of spring flooding, including the creation of a ditch to channel water away from Fishing Lake, in Saskatchewan.
The agreement, announced Thursday, includes conditions under which Saskatchewan will operate the channel.
The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority wants the ditch in place to protect a First Nations community and 700 cottages on the lake, about 205 kilometres northeast of Regina.
The Manitoba government was worried the channel could result in increased flooding in western Manitoba and affect water quality.
Officials said the agreement Thursday should address those concerns.
"I am pleased that by working together, we have completed an operating plan that will reduce flood risk in Saskatchewan without increasing the flood risk in Manitoba," said Christine Melnick, Manitoba's Minister of Water Stewardship.
Pre-construction activities are starting at Fishing Lake with work crews removing snow and building access roads. Federal environment approval is needed before actually digging the channel.
Saskatchewan is bracing for a wet spring, according to a forecast issued by the province Thursday.
According to the watershed authority, heavy snowfall this winter, combined with wet ground in the fall, makes flooding likely in the southern half of the province.
"Unfavourable weather conditions going forward, such as above normal precipitation and/or rapid snow melt will increase the threat of flooding," the authority warns.
"Even with average weather conditions between now and runoff, expect some flooding."
Manitoba officials have said it's almost guaranteed there will be a deluge similar to 2009 when farmland was covered by kilometres-wide lakes. A swollen Red River forced some towns to close all but one road to the outside world and washed out sections of the main highway between Winnipeg and the United States border.