Water levels improving at Nickle Lake

By the time the rain stopped Saturday morning, a total of 69.5 millimetres — about 2.5 inches — had fallen in Weyburn. Many streets saw flooding as the system struggled to keep up with a torrent much like what had been seen in 2011.

The rain stopped before there was any serious damage, and the water then had the chance to drain into the Souris River, where it eventually ended up in Nickle Lake — where the City of Weyburn draws its water from.

Shabbir Sakrani is the superintendent of the Weyburn Water Treatment Plant. He oversees the facilities which provide the water to Weyburn residents and monitors the water levels at Nickle Lake, which have been dangerously low after more than a year of below normal precipitation.

He welcomed the rain we saw Friday night and Saturday morning.

“The first day we gained about eight centimetres, then the next day, because of slow runoff, we gained about eight centimetres more, then today, about 3.7,” Sakrani explained. This bumped the levels up by 20 centimetres, although the source of Weyburn’s water is still well below normal.

“Right now, we are sitting at about 90 centimetres below the full level,” Sakrani said. “If we get frequent rain, three or four like this, we will be full.”

The levels are still low enough Sakrani stated he wouldn’t want to advise the removal of the water restrictions which are currently in place for the city, as there is a long way to go until everything is safe.

There was an added bonus to all the water, though.

“Not only did the rain gain the level of Nickle Lake, the quality of the raw water improved.”

There is more rain in the forecast for Weyburn and the surrounding area.