More than 100 millimeters of rain fell in the tri-communities last month. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

wild weather

August third wettest on record for La Ronge

Sep 4, 2019 | 4:54 PM

August was the third wettest on record for La Ronge in the last 54 years.

That’s according to Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang, who said 103.6 millimeters of rain was recorded at the La Ronge Airport last month. That’s compared to the 30-year average of 60.6 mm and it represents 170 per cent of the average overall. Lang mentioned residents also likely noticed the temperature was on the cool side as it was 1 Celsius lower than normal.

“I think everybody will recognize the moisture throughout the summer contributed to the lack of forest fires and thus the issues with air quality and smoke,” she said. “There is a direct correlation with that with how much it rained and how warm it is compared to the amount of forest fires and smoke we see coming as well.”

Throughout Saskatchewan, Lang stated the weather varied with northern and southern sections of the province receiving a substantial amount of rain, while the certain portion received very little. For instance, it was the eighth driest on record in Meadow Lake and dried than average in North Battleford, Prince Albert and Saskatoon as well.

Compared to August 2018, Lang noted precipitation was close to average at 68 mm with an average temperature of 15.6 C.

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According to La Ronge Public Works Manager Stacia Selinger, almost all jobs performed by the transportation crew were delayed in August due to the wet weather. She mentioned the amount of work in the department also slightly increased because of drainage maintenance and fixing washouts. There was also an increase in the hours of work maintaining gravel roads in town.

At the sewage treatment plant, Selinger stated the facility has had high volumes of water and operated in an advance mode called “storm mode” for most of the summer. The high volumes are due to rainwater infiltration from sewage access points, sewage lines and residential sump pumps.

“The wet weather also affects how and when excavations are done; if the ground is too saturated or it has been raining too much, an excavation can be unsafe and then postponed until it’s dry enough to do the work safely,” she said. “Utilities operators also expressed that there have been a number of call-outs for high wet-well levels this year, but they have been spread out through the spring and summer.”

To mitigate the effects of wet weather, a sewer camera crew was hired to identity where water infiltration could be coming from. A spot repair team was also hired to fix major breaks in the sewage lines and, furthermore, sewer relining and relining of access points will begin this month.

“Most drainage issues were identified in the spring, so to improve the flow of snowmelt and rainwater, there is a list of culverts and other drainage jobs that are getting done this year,” Selinger said.

For the upcoming week, Environment Canada is forecasting a mix of sun and cloud for the next two days with a 60 per cent chance of rain Thursday. Friday is supposed to be sunny, but rain moves into the region for Saturday and Sunday. The hottest it is expected to get this week is 17 C on both Thursday and Friday.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno