There may be plenty of sunshine in the forecast but some in the city are keeping an eye out for rain.

Saskatchewan Watershed Authority data shows water table levels in Saskatoon are at about a 40 year high.

A high water table can be a nuisance for homes susceptible to flooding, as some in the city experienced during this last week of rain.

It can also slow construction projects waiting for water to drain and help breed water based insect populations.

“So any water that is falling, we’ve had roughly nine inches of rain since the beginning of June so that’s putting a lot of water out there and its putting a lot of opportunity for mosquito development in the water as well,” said Geoff McLeod, superintendent of urban forestry and pest management with the City of Saskatoon.

Since 2007, he said they have witnessed a lot of precipitation and not a lot of draining.

“We’ve had a lot of that water just standing and sitting at almost the surface level so any water that falls through precipitation is going to be holding a little bit longer,” said McLeod.

He said when seepage isn’t happening, lowering the water level relies largely on evapotranspiration and wind. He said neither of those things have happened very much lately.

SFroese@rawlco.com

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