Wheatland County deals with water and fire

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Nearly three-quarters of Wheatland County roads affected and damaged by overland flooding have now been repaired, county officials said.
The recent melt of heavy snowpack brought on by warmer temperatures within southern Alberta resulted in a state of emergency for communities such as Siksika Nation, Lethbridge, Vulcan County and the Municipal District of Taber, prompting the closure of hundreds of roads and some stretches of highway.
Within Wheatland County, the overland flooding also led to the evacuation of several homes in Carseland, while water encroached on the High Eagle RV Park campground near Rosebud, and damaged some homes in Carseland and Gleichen through sewer back-ups.
Despite receding water levels, many rural properties and fields continue to deal with flooded areas.
“We had some overland flooding throughout the county,” said Mike Ziehr, manager of transportation and utilities with Wheatland County. “Roads throughout Wheatland County experienced overland flooding, and many were damaged by the water. As of Monday, 75 per cent of repairs are completed and any areas where there is damage is well marked.”
Nearly 100 roads were found under water throughout the county, as well as the High Eagle RV Park in Wheatland County which experienced flooding on April 23. Although water has receded, the owners are now faced with cleaning up the mud and sludge. According to Ziehr, no homes were damaged in Rosebud from high water levels in the Rosebud River.
On Saturday evening, approximately 15 homes were evacuated in Carseland. The families affected found refuge at the reception centre that was closed at 11:30 p.m. when all evacuees were allowed back into their homes. Carseland also fell victim to more flooding the following day; however, water receded quickly and has not returned since.
Despite the long-awaited snowmelt, a few days later on April 26, Carseland once again registered on the Wheatland County radar, this time for a grassfire in the south end of the village at roughly 2:10 p.m.
“It was quickly brought under control in a matter of hours by the Carseland and Wheatland West fire stations, in coordination with the Gleichen fire department as well as the Langdon and Arrowwood departments,” said Judy Unsworth, fire and emergency management coordinator with Wheatland County.
“We are advising people to be very cautious with any permitted burning. Despite the melting and overland flooding, the grass remains dry and there is a risk of fire. Currently there is no fire ban in place, but we are closely monitoring conditions and will issue a ban if necessary in the near future.”