The Reeve for the R.M. of Morris is offering a word of reassurance to residents as the region continues to get pummeled by the weekend’s high precipitation event.

“Our staff have been working all weekend to ensure that water flows and that no properties are affected,” said Ralph Groening in an update Sunday afternoon. “To this point, and I think one of our public works staff said they are managing at the moment, but they certainly need the rain to stop and to allow for all of this excess moisture to drain away.”

As of mid-afternoon on Sunday, Groening said at least 7 roads were impacted but noted, a full inventory was underway. Further information will be posted to the Municipality’s Facebook page and web site.

Reeve for the R.M. of Morris, Ralph Groening.

One of the communities experiencing some difficulties, added Groening, is Aubigny.

“We’ve had one of our machines there all of last night and again today, ensuring that water is flowing and that there’s not any local melt that is going to inundate and do any damage to properties.”

“Other than Aubigny, we’re managing,” he added. “We’re doing alright. Water is flowing off the fields and we have a lot of water but in terms of properties, we’re doing fine. We have roads that will be in awful shape but that’s not unique to the R.M. of Morris.”

As for how long the high-water event will last within the municipality’s boundaries, Groening says that remains unknown.

“That’s not something we can easily predict,” he said. “I know it will depend on the level of moisture received to the west of us.”

The biggest challenge, noted Groening, is that the major drains within the municipality are full to over-flowing.

“We need for that water to move into the Morris and then into the Red River, and if the Red River continues to increase as it will, that will delay and slow the progress of us being able to remove our water.”

Groening says crews will remain on high alert for the next few days.

He reminds residents in the urban communities to minimize water use, direct drainpipes away from yards and to refrain from pumping sump water into the wastewater system.