Dam upgrade delayed as cost rises

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This article was published 16/11/2024 (566 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The rehabilitation of the Rivers dam has been delayed two years and will cost 17 per cent more, the province said Friday.

Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor announced the Rivers dam upgrade will be completed in 2027, at a cost of $47 million. It comes one year after the project was announced to be completed at a cost of $40 million by 2025.

“[It is] primarily due to increases in construction costs,” a provincial spokesperson told the Sun via email. The cost increases are due to construction “for the low-flow conduit and the spillway rehabilitation.”

The budget announced Friday accounts for all past and future expenses the project will take, said the spokesperson. This includes upgrading the Rivers dam’s low-flow conduit, raising the dam and rehabilitating the spillway.

The dam drew attention in 2020 when a major rainstorm caused water to flow through at levels far beyond the structure’s capacity. The province worried that the dam could fail, and a large amount of water could flow downstream to communities like Brandon.

A project to upgrade the dam was then undertaken, with a major announcement by the Progressive Conservative government made last year. Seeing the new NDP government changing the project dates, an opposition member said there’s a good chance the costs will increase again before the dam is complete.

“[I’m] skeptical that they’re going to be able to hold up to the projected budget,” said La Vérendrye PC MLA Konrad Narth, who serves as critic for transportation and infrastructure. “I think the entirety of the announcement is somewhat concerning.”

“[I’m] glad to see that this project wasn’t cut, but also not surprised to see the further delays,” he said in a phone call with the Sun on Friday.

The work remaining to be done includes raising the embankment of the dam and rehabilitating the concrete spillway. An assessment of the dam after the major storm determined it needed significant increases to its capacity to prepare for future weather events like floods and heavy rains.

The upgraded dam set for 2027 “will be capable of safely passing an extreme flood event,” Naylor noted in the release on Friday. She emphasized that the dam will safeguard the province and residents in the future.

“Our government will continue to prioritize the safety of Manitobans when investing in critical infrastructure that builds our resilience to climate change and future floods,” Naylor said in the press release. “This upgrade will ensure Manitobans’ safety and support the growth of our economy by building protections for businesses and homes and keep safe future generations in rural Manitoba.”

The cost breakdown for the dam, as of Friday, was $10.1 million for engineering design, public and stakeholder engagement, and the construction and associated contract administration of the low-flow rehabilitation works; and $36.9 million for remaining construction and associated contract administration to raise the dam embankment and rehabilitate the dam spillway.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com