Fourteen Saskatchewan communities, including six First Nations, are still under a state of emergency because of spring flooding.
Deputy commissioner of emergency planning Colin King says a big area of concern is the James Smith Cree Nation, south of Nipawin.
He says crews are doing their best to keep the access road open.
“It affects a large number of the homes on James Smith and the access into the First Nation is affecting whether or not we can maintain infrastructure,” he says.
Another major problem is flooded highways.
As of Wednesday, there are 21 flooded highways – including six closures.
The most significant flooding is on Hwy 16 near Radisson, about 70 kilometers northwest of Saskatoon.
Highways spokesperson Kirsten Leatherdale says the department is bringing in an aquadam to deal with the problem.
“An aquadam is like a big long balloon that we are going to put on the shoulder of the west bound lane and pump the water off the shoulder into this balloon to clear the water off the west bound lane,” she says.
If the plan works, the highway could be reopened to two-way traffic later in the day Wednesday.
For the most part, the threat of flooding has eased in southern Saskatchewan, although lake levels will likely be rising over the next couple of weeks.