Water levels in the Smoky River at Watino as of 3 p.m. Friday (Photo: Water Survey of Canada / Alberta Environment and Parks)

By Jeff Henson

EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED

State of Local Emergency and Evacuation orders lifted for Watino area

Jul 5, 2020 | 10:58 AM

Residents of the tiny hamlet of Watino and surrounding low-lying areas can return to their homes, as Birch Hills County has lifted both a state of local emergency and mandatory evacuation order for the area.

However, they must adhere to several conditions in order to return to their homes, including staying several meters away from the Smoky river’s edge, and keeping an eye out for further erosion of the river’s edge and nearby roads.

They must also obey all traffic controls and barricades, and stay away from closed areas.

Portions of two roads remain closed – Range Road 242A north of township road 782 because of a washout, and Range Road 244 because both range road 243 and township road 780 are still under water.

County officials say water levels on the Smoky river have receded over the past 24 hours, but they caution that the levels are still high and moving fast, and that the river banks are unstable in many places.

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