Another dry spring for Sask. southwest: Water Security Agency

It’ll be a mixed bag of conditions this spring, according to the seasonal runoff forecast for the province.

The Water Security Agency has released its most recent report. It predicted the southeast and most of central Saskatchewan are expected to see a near-normal runoff due to a near-normal snowpack and a combination of wet fall conditions.

The southwest corner, on the other hand – stretching from Kindersley to the US border and east towards Estevan – is expected to see a dry spring with little-to-no runoff.

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Shawn Jaques, president and CEO of the Water Security Agency, said the Southwest is seeing such little runoff due to one specific reason.

“There just wasn’t much precipitation in that part of the province. They did have some snow over the winter but it did melt with some of those warm spells that we had,” he said.

While signs are pointing towards a dry spring, Jaques said there may still be some hope.

“It really depends on how much snow and how much moisture is in that snow, and then how quickly it melts,” he said.

“We have seen in the past where there have been some significant weather events that happen later in early spring that can change that runoff, but it’s something that the water security agency will be monitoring.”

On the other side of the fence, the area around Yorkton and Wynyard could see above-normal runoff.

As for the possibility of flooding in that area, Jaques said that shouldn’t be a concern yet.

“As of right now, we’re not anticipating any flooding occurring on the eastern side of the province,” he said. “However, it is something, again, that the water security agency will be monitoring.”

“It really does depend on how quickly it melts and whether or not there could be some localized flooding, but we’re not expecting anything significant at this time,” Jaques said.

The Water Security Agency is expected to release another report in early April.