If April showers bring May flowers, what does April snow bring?
Residents throughout the area breathed a sigh of relief nearly two weeks ago as it seemed winter was finally releasing its icy grip on the area.
The snow, which was knee-deep in some areas, quickly melted under the warm weather. The quick melt and chilly weather have been playing havoc on the area.
Town of Drumheller crews have been busy trying to keep up with the demands of a wet and cold spring.
“We’ve been busy for two to three weeks dealing with the catch basins. With the weather, they thaw during the day, but freeze at night. We’ve had to go back to some of them four or five times to thaw them out with steam. It’s been a real problem for us this year,” said Keith Russell, operations manager for the Town of Drumheller.
The storm drains, which take runoff water to the river, have been repeatedly freezing during the night. When that happens, water backs up, which could potentially lead to flooding. Crews have to thaw them out to make sure water drains properly.
Motorists travelling north on Highway 9 out of Drumheller on Friday, April 5, were witness to just how much water was contained in the thick blanket of snow. Water, coming from prairie level, collected at the base of the airport road, forming a huge pond and making the road impassable until the water was drained.
The Drumheller landfill has been turned into a mud pit and the Town of Drumheller is recommending residents not use the landfill until things have a chance to dry.
“We deal with it every spring. Last year, we didn’t get as much snow, but this year there was just so much,” said Tammi Nygaard, operations manager for the Drumheller and District Solid Waste Management Association.
Even with the high volume of meltwater, Nygaard is confident there is no danger to the Town’s water supply. The landfill is engineered in such a way to ensure water drains to a pond at the eastern edge of the site. From there the water is sampled to ensure it is clean before being sent to the river.
“It’s always been clean. We have to take samples send it to a lab that tests it using fish kills. They basically put some fish in the water for 96 hours. We haven’t killed a single one,” said Nygaard.
From an emergency standpoint, there is no danger at this time from the river, though residents are encouraged to be cautious.
“We’re monitoring things from a disaster services standpoint daily and, as of right now, there are no concerns. River forecasting out of Edmonton is keeping us advised,” said Fire Chief Bill Bachynski. “People should exercise caution around the river, because the local conditions with the ice flows can be hazardous, especially in the spring when there is high water.”
The Town has also been busy with potholes and is expecting more due to repeatedly melting and freezing.
“There are potholes, which have been addressed on many occasions. In the freeze/thaw cycle, you have a hole, it fills up with water, the water freezes and expands, and then it blows out the fill material. This year has been bad for that,” said Russell.
In Kneehill County, road bans were put into effect, including a total ban on dirt trails and a 90 per cent ban on gravel.
Starland County, was prepared for the meltwater, but has seen little difficulty.
“During the initial melt we had a few issues with water on roads, but they have been recovering quite quickly. It’s been melting quite nice for us. We haven’t had any issues with culverts,” said Ross Rawlusyk, CAO of Starland County. “We rented some large pumps earlier this year in case we needed them, but we haven’t used them yet.”
Spring may still be far off from coming into full bloom. According to the Environment Canada Weather Office, things are supposed to warm up throughout the week, but more snow and rain is expected over the weekend.
