The flood risk in Saskatchewan has eased through most of the province heading into the Easter weekend, but officials are keeping their eyes on several spots that could see rapid melting.
The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority continues to warn that flows in the Missouri River Basin, on the south slopes of the Cypress Hills and the Frenchman River, could be twice that of 1997 and the largest since 1952.
Public safety officials are working with residents around Eastend and Val Marie to prepare for flooding of rural yard sites.
Wascana Creek near Regina continues to rise and is expected to peak during the weekend.
Crooked and Round Lakes in the Qu’Appelle Valley are both receding after extensive flooding to nearby property. However, levels will rise again to a lower peak within a week.
Katepwa Lake will reach its peak early next week.
Flow is just beginning in the Fishing Lake area and SWA spokesperson John Fahlman said flows on the Assiniboine and Whitesand rivers aren’t expected to cause further problems.
Big Quill and Little Quill lakes will expand in size as runoff fills them. The basin is broad and shallow, Fahlman said, so the shorelines will change.
He said discharges from Rafferty and Alameda reservoirs will have to be made at some point.
