Flood-Waters Swell Near La Ronge, Montreal Lake
Friday, July 22, 2011 at 14:49
The Chief of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band says she does not expect any people to be evacuated from her community due to the flooding.
At the same time Chief Tammy Cook-Seerson says they will be closely monitoring the situation.
She and her council held a meeting this morning with the two townships as well as government agencies to get a handle on the situation:
“We were informed that water is going to continue to rise for the next three weeks for sure – but slowly. We’re going to continue to monitor the situation and we’ve decided not to continue sandbagging for La Ronge right now because the main priority was the lift (sewage) station right by the river. So sandbagging that is done. Some sandbags have been put at the Riverside Motel because of its location.”
She says they have heard reports of basements flooding at Sucker River, Stanley Mission and Hull Lake.
According to the chief local residents of Grandmother’s Bay have told her things look OK there right now except for the washout of a road.
People have gone door-knocking at Bigstone Lake to inform residents of the situation.
La Ronge mayor Thomas Sierzycki is urging parents to keep their children from swimming in the river right now.
He worries all the debris floating through the river could pose a risk.
Like the band Sierzycki says they also have reports of several flooded basements due to the high water table.
A joint press release from the two communities along with Air Ronge says there is no boil water advisory, and the Montreal River Bridge is safe for normal travel.
Meantime water is finally going down today in a flooded creek that forced an evacuation at the Montreal Lake Cree Nation yesterday.
Band councilor Dirk McDonald is one of the men battling the flood.
He says they built a second culvert, and that seems to be working.
About 150 people from 35 homes – a quarter of the reserve – were evacuated yesterday.
The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority has issued a High Water Advisory for a number of communities in the north.
Officials say La Ronge, Air Ronge, the Montreal Lake Cree Nation and communities in the Hanson Lake and Creighton areas are all at risk of flooding.
Authority spokesperson Ron Crush says high levels and fast flows are being reported in the lakes and rivers of the area.
Crush says in Lac La Ronge, water levels are approaching the record levels of 1974, but so far there are no reports of drinking water quality being affected.
Crews were sand-bagging around the Air Ronge Bridge water station on Thursday.
Other affected lakes include Candle, Little Bear, Wapawekka, Big Sandy, Deschambault, Jan and Pelican.