A high water warning for the Red River south of Winnipeg has been issued by the Manitoba government. The Government of Manitoba is preparing to activate the Red River Floodway to manage water levels within the city of Winnipeg, according to an announcement made by Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler.
“As Manitoba prepares for the rising waters of the Red River, we are taking measures to protect properties that could potentially be affected by high water,” said Schuler. “We could activate the Red River Floodway for the first time in 2020 as early as the evening of Thursday, April 9.”
Schuler noted standard operating procedure for the floodway gates is to wait until the river ice has broken up and cleared upstream of the floodway inlet. River ice observations indicate the ice is unlikely to clear until April 9, 2020 at the earliest and may occur a day or two later, so those levels will be monitored.
A warning is issued when river or lake levels are exceeding or are expected to exceed flood stage within the next 24 hours. A watch is issued when river or lake levels are approaching and likely to reach flood stage, but unlikely within the next 24 hours.
Provincial crews are deployed in a number of communities in the Red River Valley to prepare for potential ring dike closures. Dike closures are anticipated over the weekend at West Lynn and Noyse. Partial dike closures may also be required along PR 201 on the east side of Letellier and at St. Jean Baptiste.
The minister reminds property owners to protect wells as high water rolls through the Red River Valley. If local sandbagging is required, the province has shared suggested safety measures with municipalities for crews to maintain COVID-19 safety procedures that can be found here.
Updated forecast information is available here. More information for residents is available here and here.
