Estevan Mercury

Page 1

April 3, 2013

WEDNESDAY

www.estevanmercury.ca Issue 48

Bruins Relieve Cassidy Of Duties

⇢ B1

Tragically Hip To Play Estevan

⇢ A5

The City of Estevan has been forced to reduce the speed limit and make sections of 13th Avenue open to just one lane of traffic due to the overwhelming volume of potholes in the area.

Estevan’s First Female Officer Retiring

⇢ A3 PIPELINE NEWS Saskatchewan’s Petroleum Monthly

pril 2013

Canada Post Publication No. 40069240

FREE

Volume Vo 5 Issue 11

Road Bans

&

Sun Tans Graham Lindsey ain Senator John McC & Senator

Eric Cantor House Majority Leader

Congressman

Ed Markey

Mr. Wall goes to Washington

Repr

amp Heidi Heitk Senator

Desperate times are forcing the City of Estevan to take some desperate measures with its crumbling roads. The City announced over the weekend that due to poor conditions along Highway 47 through Estevan and also on some areas of King Street, they have been reduced to a single lane and the speed limit has been lowered to 30 kilometres. The changes are in effect for Highway 47 from Seventh Street to George Street. The section of King Street from the 13th Avenue intersection to Hillcrest Drive has been reduced to 30 km/h. In an interview Monday, Mayor Roy Lud-

wig said the City made the decision to go with only one lane on the advice of its engineering department. The rationale behind the decision is that the majority of the larger potholes are along the sides of the road. “We were hoping to avoid the worst of them by driving down the middle, which works to some extent but there are still potholes there,� Ludwig said. The first term mayor added that the City has been creating a plan of attack to repair the roads. As soon as weather allows, Ludwig said the City will repave Highway 47 from the train tracks north and Sixth Street from Souris Avenue to 13th Avenue. They will also repave King Street

from 13th Avenue to Hillcrest Drive. While that is good news for local drivers whose patience has worn thin, Ludwig cautioned that the work cannot begin until there is warmer weather and the streets dry up. “We are not looking at a terribly long time but once it dries up we can get serious,â€? Ludwig said. “I can’t stress enough that we totally understand (why the public is upset) and for the most part they have been very patient and understanding.â€? Repairing the various sections of road will not come cheap as Ludwig said their initial estimates peg the cost at roughly $1.4 million. City ⇢A2

esen

Chair

Kevin McCa House Major rthy ity Whip

a Democratic North Dakot

City forced to take drastic measures with poor roads

Steve Daines an Montana Congressm

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ive Fr man of on Ene the Hoed Upto n rgy and use CommCommitt ee erce

Ron Wy Dem Commit ocratic Cha den tee on ir Energy of Senate and Com merce

Senator Tim Scott

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WEATHER & INDEX

Flood watch already underway By Norm Park of The Mercury The alert and activity levels have been increased in southeast Saskatchewan as residents and officials prepare for possible flood waters ... again. Although the flood potential remains lower than it was in the spring and summer of 2011 when the southeast sector was inundated with devastating raging river waters that destroyed properties and homes not only in Saskatchewan but also North Dakota, the warning signals have been given. As a result of those signals, the provincial government appointed a special cabinet committee to deal with the results of one of the largest melting snowpacks in recent history. The committee will be chaired by Government Relations Minister Jim Reiter, who spoke with The Mercury last week outlining some of the activities that are taking place to avert another disaster. Reiter, it was noted, is also the

minister responsible for the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP). Others on the preparedness committee include Environment Minister Ken Cheveldayoff, who is also minister responsible for the Water Security Agency (WSA), Highways and Infrastructure Minister Don McMorris and Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart. Reiter said the province can tap into the $182 million Growth and Financial Security Fund if need be to cover potential costs associated with flooding. Government officials held meetings in March in at-risk regions, providing more than 200 communities with information and advice regarding mitigative actions that can be taken to prevent and/or respond to flooding. While this was going on, the volumes of water being released from Rafferty and Alameda Dams were being ramped up to accommodate the extra snow that fell in the region in March. “Equipment is being gathered,

everyone is getting prepared,� Reiter said. “The files are still open, the Water Security Agency is lowering the water levels in the reservoirs in preparation, and I think North Dakota is on the same page as us for managing the flow.� Dale Hjertaas, executive director policy and communications for WSA, confirmed that the water release rate in the two dams had been stepped up since the additional snow fell in early and mid-March. The release rate at Rafferty is now 20 metres per second (m3/s) compared with six m3/s at the beginning of winter, which was later increased to 16 m3/s. The release rate at the Alameda Dam was increased to 14 m3/s from the previous rate of nine m3/s. A release from Boundary Dam has also been initiated, but that is done through the auspices of SaskPower, not WSA since that body of water comes under SaskPower’s jurisdiction. There had been no release of water from Boundary prior to mid-March, and it is now being

let go at a rate of six m3/s. Reiter added that the volume of water can only be released in agreement with North Dakota and U.S. authorities who are partners in the reservoir management schemes. “More importantly the levels in the reservoirs are down. Rafferty is at 549.2 metres now (March 28) which is 1.3 metres below full supply level and it can take another 3.5 metres above full supply level for flood protection,â€? Reiter said. That is lower than it was prior to the 2011 flood. “Alameda is 1.5 metres below full supply level and it can take as much as five metres beyond full supply level to handle flood conditions.â€? Reiter added that he knew the last official snowpack forecast did not include the latest snowfalls so the ramping up of releases was seen as prudent by officials on both sides of the international border. “In the fall and early winter of 2010 there Tracking ⇢A2

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