Rivers Dam project cost rises to $65.7M

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/03/2025 (208 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP government has allocated $65.7 million to upgrade the Rivers Dam at Lake Wahtopanah.

The figure, included in Thursday’s provincial budget, represents an increase of $18.7 million from the $47 million that was announced four months ago by Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor.

Rehabilitation work began on the 63-year-old Rivers Dam in the summer of 2023. The project was announced the year before by the Progressive Conservative government.

Upgrades are expected to be completed by 2027.

On Friday, the Sun asked Naylor why the cost of the project increased.

“The $65 million includes all pieces of the overall project,” Naylor wrote in an email. “The government is committed to (making sure) this important project is completed to ensure flood mitigation and protection for Manitobans in the Westman area.”

MLA Konrad Narth, the opposition critic for transportation and infrastructure, noted that the former PC government set the wheels in motion for the Rivers Dam project, adding that budget overruns and delays have become commonplace with the NDP.

“I had skepticism that the project would be completed within their timeline and on budget, and it’s even considerably more than we could have anticipated,” Narth said.

“It raises concern that this government is able to maintain any credibility on budgeting for capital infrastructure projects,” he said.

“When they formed government, we saw the delay of many capital projects, including the Rivers Dam, and seeing that this project is moved down the road and the cost to taxpayers is only increasing.”

The dam drew attention in 2020 when a major summer rainstorm caused water to flow through the dam from the lake into the Little Saskatchewan River at a rate that was far beyond the structure’s capacity.

The province was worried that the dam might fail, and a large amount of water could flow downstream to communities including Brandon.

Temporary repairs were done on the dam’s spillway in February 2021, but it was ultimately decided to bring it up to modern standards, including upgrading the dam’s low-flow conduit, raising the dam and rehabilitating the spillway.

The dam is in the Riverdale Municipality, and while the community is not involved with the current construction, Rivers Mayor Heather Lamb told the Sun that the project benefits all Manitoba municipalities along the river.

“The community of Riverdale Municipality is grateful for the province’s attention and dedication to the Rivers Dam, especially after the major flood events we’ve experienced in previous years,” said Lamb.

Lamb added her thanks to people who drive along Highway 25, which goes through Rivers and passes the construction zone.

“A warm thank you to all local residents and visitors, for continually driving with caution while trucks and other heavy equipment may be entering or departing the work site,” she said.

Once work on the Rivers Dam is complete, most of the original structure from the 1960s will have been replaced. The design for the rehabilitated dam follows current guidelines created by the Canadian Dam Association.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» enviromichele.bsky.social