Flood warning issued along Assiniboine River

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This article was published 26/04/2022 (1415 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon’s emergency measures are standing at the ready in the event the Assiniboine River bursts its banks after the province issued a flood warning Tuesday.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre issued the alert covering the Assiniboine River from St. Lazare to Griswold. The Shellmouth Dam is being activated to minimize the risk of flooding downstream on the Assiniboine while ensuring there is ample water storage capacity, a news release said.

The river remains under a moderate flood risk following rain, snow, hail and ice pellets last weekend.

While Brandon is not dealing with major flooding right now, the city’s emergency measures are in a holding pattern, said emergency manager Tobin Praznik.

“The river has risen, but we’ve been lucky so far and we are monitoring some high-risk areas for potential flooding,” he said without specifying those areas. “We’ve been in close contact with the provincial flood forecasters, and I’m part of the Shellmouth Dam liaison committee. We get continuous updates on the river levels and flood forecast as we work through the snowmelt.”

The concern now is a Colorado low expected to arrive this weekend, which may bring heavy rain that could pose a risk to low-lying areas.

The city’s emergency measures department was expecting a flood warning after the province released its updated flood forecast last week.

The city follows criteria for flood preparedness based on historical data and any known areas of concern, as well as flow forecast and river levels. The city has trigger points that would be activated if flooding were to occur on parts of the Assiniboine River. Depending on the forecast, emergency preparedness would go through the steps.

Those actions include monitoring an area, which involves assessing manholes and culverts and watching outflow levels. In some cases, the city is placing pumps in locations in anticipation of flooding.

If need be, Praznik said they have a contract in place to put in a dike plug on Grand Valley Road. This measure was last utilized in the summer of 2020, when the Assiniboine flooded and the city built an earth wall running parallel to 18th Street North, cutting off Grand Valley Road to hold back floodwaters.

Even with measures and the river rising, Praznik said nature is working in their favour at the moment. A dry week and below-average temperatures are slowing down the amount of water flowing into the river. The hope now is there is less rain than forecast this weekend.

Sandbags are currently available at the Civic Services Complex at 900 Richmond Ave. East from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served, fill-your-own bags basis. Anyone interested in getting some are asked to call 204-729-2285. In the event of an emergency, those sandbags would be handed out to affected residents.

Real-time data for the Assiniboine River is available on the Government of Canada website at https://bit.ly/3ER5K8v.

Flooding is posing a bigger problem in other parts of southern Manitoba into the United States. According to the Minot Daily News, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared a state of emergency in 16 counties — including Billings, Bottineau and Grand Forks — Monday. Rain and snowmelt has swelled creeks in the Red River and Sheyenne River basins, causing overland flooding on fields and roads.

An overland flood warning is still in effect for southern Manitoba from the Saskatchewan border to Highway 12, as well as from the United States border northwards to the Trans-Canada Highway, extending north between highways 5 and 16, and north of the Trans-Canada between Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg. A high water advisory is also in place for the Whiteshell lakes area as levels on most lakes continue to rise from rainfall and snowmelt.

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com, with files from the Minot Daily News

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