Assiniboine River levels have peaked but remain high: city

Water levels in the Assiniboine River will remain high in the Brandon area for the next few weeks, but they are starting to recede, a city official said Wednesday.

Emergency co-ordinator Tobin Praznik said water levels in Brandon peaked on Tuesday.

“River levels and flows are expected to recede over the next few days. However, due to the increased outflow of the Shellmouth (Dam), there’s a chance that it could rise a little bit, very minimal likely, to what we’re experiencing right now,” Praznik said

Water levels on the Lake of the Prairies — where the Shellmouth Dam is located — were at 1,408.44 feet on Wednesday near the community of Shellmouth and 1,408.61 feet near Togo, Sask., according to the Manitoba government.

The median water level for the lake is about 1,403.5 feet at this time of year, the data show. The highest level ever recorded was 1,416.02 feet in July 2014.

The city still has two paths closed at the Riverbank Discovery Centre and is continuing to warn people to stay away from the fast-moving water in the Assiniboine River.

Praznik said the city is going to keep an eye out on water levels for the next few weeks, especially this month when there could be heavy rain.

It’s not the time to be around the river, he said.

Several roads were closed near the Shellmouth Dam and in the surrounding area in the Rural Municipality of Riding Mountain West, the RM said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

Glenda Lemcke, the municipality’s chief administrative officer, said the overland flooding in the area for the last month and washed-out roads have made things busy for RM staff.

While the dam is controlled and staff can prepare, other flooding, such as when a culvert recently gave out, can happen at any time of day, she said, and workers have been forced to work overnight.

She said water at the dam is still rising, though the uptick has slowed down a bit.

“What if the dam goes over? I’m not sure what the impact will be,” she said.

The last time water exceeded the dam’s capacity was in 2014, Lemcke said.

“Until we see what the impact is this time, I guess we won’t know what needs to be done,” she said. “But, I mean, this is what it was built for, so hopefully it’s OK.”

Rain is expected to hit the Shellmouth area on four separate days over the next week, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Lemcke said if there is a substantial amount of rainfall, it could further affect water levels at the dam.

The municipality, she said, would like to increase culvert sizes in some areas, but is restricted by the province from doing so without a permit, as it could affect other areas and culverts downstream.

Meanwhile, municipalities in Saskatchewan could change their culverts without approval from officials in Manitoba, potentially causing havoc downstream in Riding Mountain West.

She said the provinces not having the same regulations for municipalities is “restrictive.”

The Manitoba government did not respond to a request for information on the Shellmouth Dam by press time on Wednesday.

» alambert@brandonsun.com