by PAUL RAYNER

The bizarre recent weather has made the spring melt a “watch and wait” situation for the RM of Morton.

Starting Sunday, March 22, the area was inundated with more than an inch of rain, with the added unexpected and unseasonable bonus of rolling thunder. This left pools of water around Boissevain and the RM of Morton. After a brief respite on Monday, the snow began falling, a situation that continued off and on for much of the rest of the week. It had an unwanted impact on several areas, including school closures. For example, the blowing snow forced the closure of schools in Turtle Mountain School Division on Tuesday, March 24. The day before, the rain had washed out roads to the degree that Deloraine School was forced to cancel classes.

The addition of more sudden precipitation has raised possible concerns for the RM of Morton.

“It’s hard to tell what exactly is going to transpire,” said Morton Reeve Bob McCallum. “There are some concerns already. The rain that came on Sunday melted the snow quick. We had some pretty quick runoff from the mountain and some water over some of our roads, and some of them had to be closed.”

On Monday, Morton did indeed start closing a few roads, including Old #3 southwest of town from the 8th mile for four miles west, as well as from the first mile for a period, due to water over the roads. Most closures were south of town, but one, eight miles north of town, by the Orthez Channel, was closed starting Monday night. Most were open later in the week, although signs were still up to keep the main trucks off of Old #3 from the 8th mile as the shoulder is gone, and the Orthez road is also among those still closed. Morton foreman Richard Dyck expected present closures to continue till at least the end of the week if not later as they need to do some work on them.

McCallum said part of the reason for the problems at this point is that all of the culverts are not yet opened on the roads. Still frozen from a tough winter, they do not give the water a way out when it melts, so if it goes too fast, it can run over the roads.

“Now we watch and wait. We hope the snow does not melt too quick, until those culverts get opened up.”

The reeve said that traditionally much of the RM’s concern comes from south of Boissevain, due in part to fast run off from the Turtle Mountains. However, there are also potential concerns from Whitewater Lake. In 2006, for example, those farming around the lake saw it grow beyond its traditional boundaries and threaten their land, just as it did in the 1970’s. McCallum said they do have a few benefits this time around. A couple of drier summers have seen the lake receded somewhat, he said, which gives it a bit of room for growth. This might not last, however.

“Whitewater Lake could be another issue,” McCallum stated. ‘I don’t see it being too big a problem right now, as there should be some room. But if it is like it was three years ago, land will be flooded. If we have a whole lot more rain and snow, it will be worth monitoring for sure. What levels it will reach, you really can’t say.”

One of the big problems for Whitewater Lake, and in effect the entire municipality, is how quickly the water runs. Can the land absorb some of the water before it reaches the lake? How quickly does the snow melt? Does it have a little too much related help?

“One of the big concerns is rain during the melting. The rain we got on Sunday caused problems because there is the rain itself and the effect it has on the snow. It melts it faster and we hope and pray it doesn’t melt too fast.”

The area already had a fair amount of snow this winter. The lower spring temperatures were melting it reasonably slowly and it did not seem to be producing an enormous amount of water in many areas. However, McCallum said in the Turtle Mountain area it was heavier and there was a lot of liquid in it. Add the recent rain and snow, and the problems follow.

It is quite a different situation from last year, where conditions were very dry. Every year is a fresh start and McCallum said although it is good to get some moisture on the land, if the weather continues in its cool, damp ways, it will simply delay farmers getting on their land.

As well, it causes road problems for Morton. As he explained, there is little they can do – they can not redirect the water.

“It is a case of the water having to find a way to its source,” McCallum explained. “If it comes too fast, the pressure washes away the roads. It is a case of mending things after they are done. It is out of our hands.”

Dyck reminds those traveling on any of the gravel roads to be careful right now as there are still spots with gouges that are now filled with snow, and could still be dangerous. McCallum hopes the weather does not get to be a major spring issue for the RM of Morton.

“Hopefully, it can melt and run at a reasonable pace,” he said. “That is where we are at right now – wait, see, hope.”