As the rain continues to fall, the worries continue to grow for those along the Souris River south of Estevan and further downstream.
Due in large part to the major snowstorm earlier this month and the rain that pelted the area Monday and Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority has been forced to increase the flow of water it is releasing into the Souris River from both the Boundary Dam and Rafferty Dam Reservoirs.
As of late last week, the SWA was releasing at a rate of 85 cubic metres per second from Rafferty. However, during the provincial flood conference call Monday, Doug Johnson of the watershed authority said if southeast Saskatchewan receives the two inches of rain that had been forecast, the authority would be forced to up the release from both reservoirs. If that happened, he predicted the Souris River could rise by as much as one metre, creating a much bigger problem for people who are already doing their best to hold the water back.
"If (the rain) materializes, we are going to see flows rise on the river systems and water levels will rise on the reservoirs and the lakes," said Johnson. "It is very much going to depend on how much rainfall we have and how it develops as to what the water level rises are going to be on the rivers and the lakes.
"With Rafferty being very close to the maximum allowable flood level, we are anticipating that the flows will increase very significantly through Estevan as we have to pass on the inflows. If that happens, we could see water levels rise by as much as a metre. That will have a major impact on the properties that were combating the floods and on the infrastructure in the river valley. It will be an issue."
Although the rainfall will dictate how much and when they will increase flows, Johnson warned that by today, flows from the two reservoirs could be a combined 200 m3/s into the Souris. How long they will have to keep up that release will also depend on the rainfall.
"We have got to get the inflows down on both Rafferty and Boundary in order to start dropping the flow releases out."
The increase in flows is causing some major headaches in low-lying areas south of Estevan and further downstream.
Locally, a significant portion of Woodlawn Park has flooded for a second time. Homeowners across from Woodlawn have also been forced into action again, building dikes around their property and sandbagging.
Johnson also noted Sherritt Coal has been impacted as one of their roads which is used to haul coal has been closed due to flooding.
The Village of Roche Percee is also on high alert for the second time this spring. Deputy Mayor Sharon Wells there are a handful of areas in the village that have been flooded and they are continuing to keep a close watch on the river.
"We still have our sandbags and we are in the process of looking for pumps," said Wells. "We have an area down by the village office where it is coming back in from the river and we are going to try and pump that out to the east and hopefully save that lady from flooding.
"There are homes to the southeast (of the village office) their backyard is full of water and the water is going from behind those two homes across to the homes behind Division Avenue in the ballpark area. We are getting water from everywhere."
While speaking to The Mercury on Monday, Wells said the current release from the reservoirs is causing the river to rise by six inches a day. She added they have roughly three feet of space before the river hits the bridge.
"But we do have our sandbags there still and we have sandbags dropped off in various parts along the dike and throughout the village. But what good is that going to do if they increase the flow?"
Wells added that an information meeting was held Monday in Bienfait by the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program which was attended from officials from Roche Percee, Lampman, Benson and various rural municipalities that are being impacted by overland flooding.
According to anecdotal reports, a significant amount of farmland in the southeast is under water and there are serious concerns that if the area continues to receive precipitation many farmers will be unable to plant a crop this year.
