Officials in Saskatchewan say water levels are expected to stay higher than normal over the next several days in the central part of the province as widespread flooding continues.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says 18 communities are under a local state of emergency due to flooding, including Sturgeon Lake First Nation outside Prince Albert.

That’s almost half of the 32 communities that had local state of emergencies as of Sunday.

The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency says central areas had record-high flows due to a rapid spring snow melt.

The agency says areas north of the Assiniboine River basin, near Kamsack, may see a surge in higher than usual flows.

It also says it has seen record flows in spots on the Carrot River, with the Smoky Burn area recording the highest at about 1,000 cubic metres per second when it should normally be at about 200.

“To put that in perspective … that’s roughly one Olympic swimming pool of water every three seconds,” Leah Clark with the water agency said in a flood update Monday.

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Clark said flows on the North Saskatchewan River tributaries and the main stem of the river upstream of Prince Albert continued to decline.

The agency issued a high flow advisory in April, which was updated Thursday and remains in effect, Clark said.

Devin Pacholik, spokesman for the Ministry of Highways, said road conditions can shift rapidly due to changing water levels.

“Above average snowfall in some regions, followed by rapid thaw, resulted in significant runoff, creating added pressure on the provincial highway system,” he said.

“Swift-moving water is impacting infrastructure by weakening road beds, eroding bridge approaches, and contributing to ongoing challenges across the network.”

Pacholik said it’s too early to determine the overall extent of damage and total cost to repair infrastructure.

“But we assure you that crews are working diligently to maintain access on highways and restore normal traffic flow as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.

“All available ministry resources are being directed to the areas that are most affected by flooding.”

The Ministry of Highways has secured a contractor to install a temporary bridge on Highway 165 over Smoothstone River near Pinehouse, he said.

“There was a bridge collapse there and it was due to flooding and numerous culverts being damaged by ice jams,” Pacholik said.

A temporary bridge has also been installed near Foam Lake, southeast of Saskatoon.

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