Fishing Lake Outlet News

[booboo04]

EMERGENCY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN FOR FISHING LAKE
In response to a high risk of flooding at Fishing Lake, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority will initiate a number of emergency actions to reduce the risk of flooding at Fishing Lake and area communities in 2011.

Emergency work at Fishing Lake includes constructing a channel to hasten the removal of water out of Fishing Lake, raising low areas on berms and preparing to sand bag where necessary. The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority will also assist Fishing Lake First Nation to ensure their facilities are safe.

"Fishing Lake is at the highest recorded fall level ever and the watershed is going into freeze up very wet," Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Watershed Authority Dustin Duncan said. "Without these works, communities face a high risk of flooding next spring. These emergency measures will significantly reduce the risk of spring flooding, while aiding in long-term flood protection and supporting future development and growth in the communities affected."

Channel improvements below Fishing Lake will be constructed on an emergency basis with mitigation of any environmental impacts. The channel will be constructed downstream of Hazel Lake to Newburn Lake with a rock weir below each of Hazel, Whitesand and Dog Lakes to maintain natural spill levels. The channel will hasten flow of floodwater from the lake and reduce water levels before the spring flood. The channel, along with the berms, will also provide long term flood protection for the communities and help alleviate downstream flooding of farm and pasture lands.

"We are going to be under extremely tight time lines to work with local government and landowners, secure necessary approvals and construct the works," Duncan said. "However, we believe this work is absolutely essential if we are going to try and avoid incurring millions of dollars of damage as occurred in 2007."

Construction of the channel will start in early January, dependent on the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority receiving environmental approvals and permits from the Ministry of Environment and Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority has initiated consultations with the Fishing Lake First Nation on the project and incorporated suggestions from Fishing Lake First Nation into the design. These consultations will continue. Much of the channel will be constructed on Crown Land but some portions will cross private land. Watershed Authority is initiating discussions with landowners to determine their issues and secure the right of way.

For more information, see the attached backgrounder. Information and updates will also be posted on Saskatchewan Watershed Authority website at www.swa.ca.

-30-

For more information, contact:

Jim Waggoner
Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
Moose Jaw
Phone: 306-786-1490

[grrrr]

Too bad SWA has let it get this bad in the first place. If only they wouldn't have allowed all that uncontrolled ditching to occur over the years......

[GOODRUM]

To bad they were allowed to build cabins in a slough. Lots were surveyed and sold for big dollars in the dry years.

[norton17]

All they are doing is draining it to the "normal high level mark", however they determined that.

Fishing Lake may just seem like a "resort" to many people, but there are a number of people who live there year round.
It is also a major source of revenue for Wadena, Wynyard and especially Foam Lake.

[GOODRUM]

I have to agree with Fishing Lake being a source of revenue for these areas , it has been a goldmine,I dont even know how many millions were spent on insurance claims ,disaster assistance,lifting cabins,partial dug canals,installation of berms,and now the maintenance of these berms. How many more acres will go unseeded next year because of the ditching moratorium in place.Farmers settled this area with the requirement that improvments be made, long before there was a cabin there.

[norton17]

cabin owners put cabins there with the expectation that it was going to be a lake, not a place for everyone to drain their land into.

Fishing Lake cabin owners got some disaster assistance, just like Yorkton and other places that experienced disasters. Farmers also got a disaster payment this year....but i suppose you sent it back b/c your ancestors decided to try farm land that is a swamp???

It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant and selfish people are, Fishing Lake is not the problem...40 inches of rain is the problem. Did most the land down by Bankend not get seeded b/c of Fishing Lake? Did the land by Kawacatoose not get seeded b/c of Fishing Lake?

Grow up, everyone had problems with rain this past year and blaming others is childish and ridiculous

[freewheat]

Norton you mentioned last years precip. You fail to realize the basin has has several years of crazy rainfall, starting in the fall of 2005. Rainfall others never had. Van pattens is still running as it has all year cuz of all that farmer draining I suppose?

I notice wagoneer is worried about millions of dollars in property losses at the lake. How about the many more millions lost north of the lake these past 5 or 6 years?

[freewheat]

Norton, please come to my farm and see the land.

For 100 years most of it needed no draining. There are sloughs on hills now. I burried my tractor last night trying to blade some snow. Unless you have a clue about the land here, or think it is a swamp, butt out. The rm was for many years in the top ten province wide for yields of many crops, especially those requiring rain. Now this productive area is impossibl to farm because we simply can't get rid of vast areas of surface water.

[norton17]

I do realize that it has been a very wet area for years, but it is just as wet for cabin owners too.

The draining argument makes as much sense as cabin owners wanting to drain the land onto farmland to save their cabin. Both ideas are stupid, everyone is trying their best in a terrible situation...and to hear people wishing to do damage to other peoples property is ridiculous.

Here is an example: If the only way I can save my car is to destroy your car, would you be very happy if I was trying to rally people to destroy your car???

I know its a frustrating situation, I am both a cabin owner and a farmer. My cabin has never been effected by flooding, nor have I had to sandbag (my own cabin), but that doesnt mean a lot of peoples cabin, money and hardwork hasnt went down the drain. There are people who have sold farms, businesses, etc to buy a retirement cabin out there...it sure is nice to want to wreck their stuff.

I also farm, and was heavily effected by the 2010 weather. We did get 75% ish seeded but wish we hadnt. We would have been better off at about the 25% mark. So I know the frustration from the farming side too.