As a newsperson, you get to experience a lot of cool things in your career, things the average person wouldn't get to do.
But there are also those things you see and do that you never want to see anyone endure again.
One of those would be the flood of 2011, when the Souris River surged passed its banks, destroying or damaging people's homes and properties, submerging much of the historic community of Roche Percee, and hampering several tourist attractions that were located along the scenic Souris.
There were also areas that were under water because the southeast region received 2 1/2 years worth of precipitation in a 14-month span.
At the time, it was billed as a once-in-500-years flooding event. I'm not sure how they come up with that kind of description; I just know I don't want it to happen again in my lifetime.
Since 2011, we've had a few instances in which water releases were needed from at least one local reservoir to bring it down to their full supply level. I remembered it happened in 2017 after we received a lot of snow in 2016-17. And it even happened last year because of the enormous amount of snow we received in April.
Thankfully, they haven't reached or exceeded the amount that would cause the Souris to flood.
For those who endured the flood of 2011, you can understand why they get a little skittish when the Water Security Agency talks about water releases from Rafferty Dam, Boundary Dam and Grant Devine Lake, or when the agency says it needs to employ the diversion channel that runs from Boundary to Rafferty. They remember those days and the aftermath.
Talking about water releases, reservoir depth and full supply levels can bring back bad memories.
It doesn't help that there's a winter storm, one of those Colorado lows, in the forecast for this week. We need some nice dry weather right now. We didn't need rain and more snow. And thanks to this storm, we have a lot more now. It's going to melt. Much of it will be gone soon.
We shouldn't have to worry about having snow on the ground in May this year, because it appears the temperatures will warm up quickly and the snow will melt. But that melted snow will trickle into the reservoirs.
It doesn't appear we're going to see widespread flooding this year. Yes, there are fields under water. But the Water Security Agency doesn't expect it's going to reach full supply level for Rafferty. Grant Devine Lake might fill.
While it's frustrating, we do have to remember it could be worse. Other areas are getting hit harder.
The southwest region of the province, which has been dry for a number of years, is suddenly dealing with flooding. The WSA says there have been issues with flooding in the Swift Current area. And there are a number of highways that have been under water.
The last thing those areas need right now is more snow and rain.
But when we hear things like diversion channel and potential water releases, it brings our minds back to 12 years ago, and how we hope that situation will never happen again.
