Water levels were higher on the Souris River and Long Creek on June 15, as water was released from the Boundary Dam spillway.
In an email to the Mercury, the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) said SaskPower was carrying out its annual spillway gate testing, which is part of its regular operations.
This caused the higher levels on the Souris River. Approximately 300,000 cubic meters were to be released from the reservoir, with a maximum outflow of 80 cubic metres per second (m3/s). Tests were spaced out over about four to 4 1/2 hours to minimize the rise in levels downstream.
Channel capacity for the river for most of the Estevan area is about 40 m3/s, according to the agency.
Also affected were water levels on Long Creek.
The WSA says downstream stakeholders were notified on Monday to expect changes in levels over this period.
The WSA says it sent a combination of notices to as many downstream users as possible, including by email and text. Lists are created from existing WSA licence holders or other client data.
“We compile the list and do our best to keep them as up to date as possible, however as people move, or change phone numbers or email addresses over time, it is difficult to ensure they are 100 per cent complete.”
The WSA said dam outflows related to this testing are higher than recent years due to Boundary Reservoir being full. Following the testing, water levels through the city are expected to return to levels observed earlier in the week.
