Residents in southeastern Saskatchewan are working to clean up their homes and businesses after days of intense rainfall that caused flooding in parts of the region.
Laurie Burton is the greens superintendent at the golf club in Esterhazy, Sask., and says most of the course is submerged.
“Our course was fine on Monday morning, totally passable at 7:00. By 9:00, you couldn’t get across either of the bridges,” said Burton. “We have three of them, and none of them were passable.”
The last time the area received flooding on this scale was in 2014, said Burton, recalling the flooding seen on the golf course over a decade ago.
“I put a meter stick out yesterday, we gained three feet in 17 hours,” she said.
Despite the flooding pausing operations, Burton said spirits remain high and that members are trying to support the club in any way they can.
“I’ve noticed a lot of people bringing business in that we’ve lost in green fees,” she said.
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The road to recovery for the golf course is a long one, said Burton. While she hopes golfers can tee off in a modified capacity by mid-July, a full rebound will take longer.
“Everything depends on how long the water stays. How high it gets, how much more we get, that all accumulates. So you’re looking at months’ worth of recovery,” she said.
Meanwhile, in nearby Churchbridge, located just under a 25-minute drive northeast of Esterhazy, the town has declared a local state of emergency.
Rising water levels in that town have overwhelmed infrastructure, flooded basements and caused sewage backup.
“I was at my daughter’s place, I believe it was like Monday morning at 3:00, and the water was coming out of the toilet, probably a foot and a half high. So, I mean, it affected so many residents,” said Churchbridge Mayor Jared Melnyk.
Melynk says the increased rainfall has overwhelmed the town’s sewer system, but other factors are also at play.
“We also have been receiving water from out of town. Farmers have done ditching and whatnot, which has led to a large increase in the volume of flow through the town,” he said.
The town has asked residents to be mindful of their water usage, ensure sump pumps discharge outside and inspect their valves to prevent sewage backups into their homes.
But some residents point to the town’s aging infrastructure as the cause of the flooding.
“Everybody’s infrastructure is getting old, whether it be sewer lines or water lines,” said Melnyk. “Any help for that area in the communities would be greatly appreciated.”
Rain totals for the Esterhazy and Churchbridge areas are unavailable, but estimates indicate that since Saturday, nearby Yorkton has received 62.3 mm of rain.
Churchbridge councillor Terissa James told Global News in a statement that her community has “really come together” during this time, with town workers “working around the clock” since late Sunday to fix lift stations and help vacuum trucks clean up the flooding.
As of Friday afternoon, lift pump stations in Churchbridge are less overwhelmed by incoming water and are starting to keep up with the demand, said James.
Environment Canada is forecasting a chance of showers for Churchbridge and Esterhazy later this week, but sunny conditions over the weekend.
This could lead the town of Churchbridge to lift its local state of emergency by next week, said Melnyk.
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