Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall welcomed North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple and United States Senator John Hoeven to Saskatchewan on Friday for discussions on the preparation for spring runoff of the Souris River.

"We owe it to all the people throughout the Souris River Basin to meet their needs for short-term and long-term flood protection," Dalrymple said. "Our on-going work has been productive and officials from both sides of the international border are committed to effective flood protection."

"Over the last few months, Saskatchewan officials have worked closely with representatives from the United States and North Dakota," Wall said. "It is important to us to be good neighbours and we will soon complete a plan to protect against the kind of flooding seen last year. We have already lowered levels at the Rafferty and Alameda Reservoirs in preparation for spring run off, and we will lower them further, if necessary."

"Our biggest concern as spring approaches is to make sure all parties involved in use and management of the Souris River are co-ordinating closely to ensure there is ample storage in the reservoirs for both spring melt and summer rains," Hoeven said. "That process is well underway, and so far Mother Nature is co-operating as well. We are also working closely with Premier Wall, his technical experts and the U.S. and Canadian governments to address changes in the International Agreement that are needed to improve flood management long term."

Last year was by far the worst year on record for flooding on the Souris River. Heavy rains in June caused unprecedented flooding, far beyond the storage capacity of Saskatchewan's reservoirs.

Please come back to www.sasklifestyles.com next week for more on this story.