Highway 799 in Cabana, near Meadow Lake. (submitted photo/Jolene Siklenka)

By Nicole Reis

FLOODED ROADWAY

Caution urged as water levels wash away section of Highway 799

Jun 9, 2020 | 5:36 PM

Drivers in the community are urged to be cautious when driving in the R.M. of Meadow Lake as high water levels have damaged a local roadway.

The rural municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer Gina Bernier told meadowlakeNOW Highway 799 in Cabana endured significant water damage affecting access to the road. According to Bernier, water levels were pooling above the road last evening. By this morning, the water pressure washed away a portion of the roadway.

“We’re on hold with anything that can be done because we have to wait for the water to go down before it can be fixed,” she said. ”We’re making applications under the provincial disaster assistance program because it’s quite costly to fix and until we can actually fix it, we’re going to have to wait.”

The road is currently blocked off and drivers will be directed to take an alternative route. Bernier said heavy rainfall and a broken beaver dam potentially caused lake water levels to rise.

“We’re working at it and we’re going to try to get what we can done. It won’t happen overnight unlike this [damage],” she said.

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(submitted photo/Jolene Siklenka)

Local resident Mike Siklenka happened to be in the area and said the damage is substantial.

“I don’t think people can really fathom how much water came through there,” he said. “That road is built up nearly 60 feet from the river and before the road let go, there looked like 50 feet of water backed up.”

Siklenka said he is concerned for the farming community as the Cabana community pasture is nearby and nearly 600 head of cattle typically roam it during the summer months.

“There are so many cattle producers that rely on those areas to feed their cattle for the summer and it’s all under water,” he said. “Hay land is underwater, farmers’ crops are drowned out. It just goes on and on.”

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722