Taber still coping with overland flooding; warming a concern

The Town of Taber remained under a local state of emergency Friday due to overland flooding south of the community.

Crews have been working around the clock to mitigate any potential flooding concerns.

“We’ve gained a little ground and it’s been rather cold here, which is lucky for us, so we have been able to clean out culverts, ditches,” said Meghan Brennan, a spokeswoman for the town.

“We’ve got big equipment out removing ice ... looking at culverts and all that sort of stuff.”

Brennan said there is concern about sudden warming in the days ahead and that the town is working with engineers to determine the possible volume of water if temperatures rise.

“Our only concern is if we have a warming event — there is still a great deal of snow in the area that has not melted, and with temperatures expected to rise next week, that is in the forefront of our minds,” said Brennan.

Brennan said there is some concern about flooding reaching the community of Taber itself.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a threat, but it is a concern,” said Brennan.

“We haven’t had any structural or infrastructure damage ... but we do have residential areas and critical infrastructure in the south part of town we are monitoring 24/7.”

The major flood spots that the

We haven’t had any structural or infrastructure damage ... but we do have residential areas and critical infrastructure in the south part of town.

town is monitoring are near their water treatment plant, located on the south side of town.

“It is very close — you can see two fields completely flooded,” said Brennan.

The town is encouraging residents to check drainage on or around their property.

It says there is no need for residents to restrict their water use or boil water.