By Charles Lefebvre

Overland flooding in County of 40 Mile reaches Foremost

Apr 18, 2018 | 1:18 PM

FOREMOST, AB — Quick thinking from residents in the Village of Foremost helped prevent serious damage following overland flooding Tuesday evening.

The village, part of the County of 40 Mile, has been under a state of local emergency this week due to overland flooding. At approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday night, the water came over Highway 61 at Highway 879, threatening the industrial park in the village.

Foremost Mayor Ken Kultgen said as soon as the village saw the water come in, residents and county officials sprang into action.

“In town, we avoided the damage by putting up a berm along Highway 61 with bales and gravel to stop the water from coming into town,” he said. “(There were) really cooperative local residents and quick thinking, and using local gravel that was right there at the corner from some local farmers and their trucks.

“The county got on with their belly dumps, and one young fellow was coming through with a load of bales at the same time, so we commandeered him, and he agreed, so we set the bales down on the gravel and got it stopped, because if it would’ve kept flowing into town for not very much longer, it would’ve flooded out the east side of Foremost.”

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On Tuesday, Alberta Emergency Alert posted an update, saying the state of local emergency remains in effect for the entire county. While no evacuation orders have been issued as of Wednesday morning, the county notes the situation can change rapidly.

Two homes took part in a voluntary evacuation on Tuesday.

Driving conditions remain hazardous in the county, with multiple roads closed as a result of overland flooding. A map of roads affected has been posted on the county’s website.

All gravel roads in the county are subject to a road ban to protect municipal infrastructure. The county says heavy trucks have damaged a number of saturated gravel roads.

Stewart Payne, director of emergency management with the county, says the plan on Wednesday is to begin repairing roads which have suffered damage, but flood mitigation will also remain a high priority.

“The overland water drainages that are over topping roads is continuing in other parts of our county, so it’s just more of the same, and we’re trying to repair roads when the water recedes,” he said.

Payne says the central areas of the county are currently the biggest priorities for flood mitigation

Landowners are being told to not increase water flows with unnecessary pumping or extraction, saying additional volumes of water pumped into roadways will threaten neighbouring lands, properties and municipal infrastructure.

County staff and contracted services are working to clear drainage channels based on priorities and necessities. Plans are being developed for the coming days, including risk area evaluations

People who are self-evacuating can contact the Forty Mile Emergency Social Services line at 403-545-2200.

If your home is being impacted or an unmarked hazard is discovered are asked to call 403-867-3940.