Some relief for flooding in the County of 40 Mile, but state of local emergency remains
FOREMOST, AB — A local state of emergency remains in place for the County of 40 Mile due to overland flooding in the area, though the region has seen a bit of relief as of Tuesday morning.
Crews have been hard at work since the weekend, working to relieve pressure on the canal at 40 Mile Reservoir. According to the St. Mary River Irrigation District and Reeve Steve Wikkerink with the County, water in the canal has dropped approximately three feet since last night, as crews removed ice jams and worked to divert water.
“That’s a huge relief for everybody,” said Wikkerink over the phone on Tuesday morning. “SM’s staff, their operators, have been putting in around the clock since Saturday night working on this.”
More than 20 backhoes have been working on the reservoir to clear ice and snow, said Terrence Lazurus, general manager of St. Mary River Irrigation District.