With this winter being very mild in terms of snow inches and rain levels, it marks a season Fort Frances has not seen in years.
While many people thanked mother nature for the break from the brisk cold weeks, the concern of low river levels was floated at one of the previous council meetings.
Since November, local officials have been brainstorming ideas on how the town should act if this winter ends up being a very mild one.
Fort Frances Mayor June Caul said while she enjoyed the springlike weather this winter, the water level concern always washed through her mind.
During the last meeting, a motion – deemed original in idea and execution – was presented where council members got to ask questions about the specifics and chances of success.
In an attempt to address what will soon be a problem for the upper Rainy River, Caul along with council members are looking to pass a “Bucket Movement.”
If carried, this motion will see all households in Fort Frances dumping at least two buckets of water per week per adult or older child in the river. The motion is expected to pass on April 12 and continue until the last week of June, unless substantial spring rains ensue. This is about eight weeks of feeding water to the Rainy River.
Fort Frances has about 4,000 households. On average each household consists of two adults and older children. Provided these folks are doing their due diligence in carrying out what they are supposed to do, each household will dump 42 buckets per week and 336 per month. In total, Fort Frances will see about 1,344,000 buckets of water dumped in the Rainy River.
Council unanimously agreed that they will not dictate the location at which residents should dump their gallons, provided they do so three days after they receive the notice.
For example, if a household receives a notice that they are on bucket duty on May 3, they should start that day and count two days between each trip to the river.
Some council members expressed concern that seniors are not going to be able to lift the buckets and dump them. To which a solution also presented itself. The town will be releasing bucket measurement depending on the age group.
If residents do not have buckets with the posted measurements, they can be purchased at various locations. Please see the ad in this paper for more details.
By the way, if attending a council meeting is on your bucket list, remember that town council meetings are open to the public online through the Microsoft Teams platform or the public can phone-in. To access a town council meeting, follow the instructions at the top of the agenda you would like to attend, posted at www.fortfrances.ca or call 807-274-5323 for assistance.
