With snow having disappeared from much of the province, the Water Security Agency (WSA) provided an update on spring runoff and reservoir levels in Saskatchewan. With snowmelt almost over, WSA president Shawn Jaques says runoff is in the normal to slightly above normal range.
“We don't expect any significant flooding risk in the province this year. However, there's always the risk or instances where there's some localized out of channel flows where runoff is a bit higher.”
Jaques explains the conditions this year, noting there are impacts from last year's conditions. He says there were warmer temperatures ahead of the snowfall last year, which created insulation, reduced snow depth, and reduced the extent of frost in the soil.
“This reduced frost and drier than normal soil from last fall is allowing more of the water to enter the soil during the spring thaw.”
This spring, the southeast saw a quicker warmup, but no significant runoff was observed despite the above average snowpack. Jaques attributes this to a combination with high soil infiltration.
“Runoff in the Wascana Basin is higher than normal due to normal fall conditions and above normal snowpack combined with a quick thaw. Most of the Churchill River Basin and further north is still expected to see a below normal runoff this spring due to dry fall conditions, and there was really not a lot of snowpack in the north this past winter.”
Most reservoirs in Saskatchewan are at normal or slightly above normal levels for this time of year and despite slightly above average snowpack over the past few years, runoff is still expected to be below normal.
“Some of our reservoirs like Reed Junction, Cypress East End and Avonlea are at their normal or their full supply levels. And some of the reservoirs like Highfield, Downey Harris and Grant Divine aren't expected to fill this year, but are expected to have enough water for full irrigation.”
Jaques says the reservoir is in good shape, sitting approximately 80 centimeters higher than normal for this time of year. Even with the dry conditions in the fall, there are no anticipated concerns with water supply for Saskatchewan communities this year.