Reeve warns flood water could flow over Hwy 11 in Lumsden area

The reeve of the rural municipality of Lumsden is warning about rising flood waters on one of the province's busiest highways after several rural roads were washed out in his district.

Jim Hipkin told CBC News Sunday if water levels continue to rise under the bridge at the bottom of the Lumsden Valley it's likely water will flow over Highway 11.

Spring runoff is raising levels of Wascana Creek and the Qu'Appelle River, which run through the valley.

"If the levels at the bridge rise, [the water] will run over top of the number 11 highway. There is all the potential for this to happen in the next couple of days," said Hipkin.

So far, he said no homes in the RM of Lumsden have been flooded, but there are some farm families that face challenges because the rural roads are being washed away.

The dikes and berms surrounding the town are holding and Hipkin is confident they'll continue to do their job.

Hipkin said he's mostly worried about people driving in areas where the water is just over the road and fears they might hit a hidden pothole that could send their car into the river.

"Please do not drive on roads where there's signs 'road closed,'" he warns. "And do not enter any water that is on a road. They tend to erode holes and you may end up floating downstream."

Hipkin said if levels continue to rise there's potential for the situation to become worse than the flood in 2011.