By this time of year, farmers in southern Saskatchewan are usually near the end of seeding and looking forward to June sunshine to help their crops grow.But this year, they are watching the rain fall and fall, and fall some more.The Avonlea area south of Regina, for example, received more than 50 millimetres of rain last week. That followed about 75 millimetres the previous weekend.The heavy rain has caused increased flows in nearby waterways, including Avonlea Creek, the Moose Jaw River and the Qu’Appelle River.The precipitation raised the Avonlea Reservoir by one metre, which resulted in more water being released through the dam and into the creek. The flooding put parts of the Long Creek Golf Course and Dunnet Regional Park under water.The Rural Municipality of Elmsthorpe held an emergency meeting May 31 to discuss the impact of the water.It has washed out culverts and threatened a bridge near Truax. Roads are suffering from the constant water running over them and the ruts inflicted by traffic.”Two of our heavy haul routes are closed,” said reeve Ken Miller.He said anytime the rain comes down 100 to 120 mm at a time, there are flooding concerns but many have said this is the worst they’ve seen. Flooding could last for another week.Miller added that farmers in the area need at least a week for their fields to dry out. Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority is also keeping an eye on Last Mountain Lake, which is well above its operating level. That means the Qu’Appelle River flow can’t be directed into the lake and must go through a control structure at Craven instead.This will flood agricultural land between Craven and Pasqua Lake for about two weeks, depending on Mother Nature.
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