Flood warnings are in place for the Souris River from U.S./Canada border and downstream, and the Qu’Appelle River in the St-Lazare area.
Flood watches have been issued for the Pembina River downstream of the Snowflake area to the US-Canada border; the Assiniboine River downstream of Russell to Portage la Prairie; Pipestone Creek, all reaches; Oak Lake and Plum Lakes; Plum Creek to the town of Souris; the Saskatchewan River near Ralls Island; and the Carrot River near The Pas.
The Red River is forecast to crest in Emerson between April 24 and 27. Water levels in Emerson are 789.22 ft. today, six ft. above flood stage (river banks) and 6.3 ft. below the top of dike.
Water levels on the Shellmouth Reservoir have increased 2.88 ft. since yesterday to 1,394.69 ft. Inflow into the reservoir went up about 75 per cent to 16,700 cubic feet per second (cfs).
The Souris River at Melita crested yesterday and is expected to maintain high flows for approximately seven days. A second crest on the Souris River is forecast to reach similar or slightly higher water levels than the first crest at Wawanesa and Souris, subject to precipitation.
Pipestone Creek, located in southwest Manitoba, is at record flows of 3,500 cfs at the Saskatchewan border.
Water levels on Pelican Lake crested at 1,353.3 ft. on April 19. Monitoring will continue to help landowners understand the risk of ice buildup on shorelines.
Water levels south of the floodway inlet are 761.35 ft., with flows of 65,000 cfs. Flows in the floodway are approximately 25,000 cfs. Flows above the floodway inlet will steadily rise until the forecast peak flows occur between May 2 and May 5, but remain below natural levels. Another gate operation is expected today.
A further operation of the Fairford River water control structure took place yesterday due to the high level of Lake Manitoba. Outflows from Lake Manitoba have increased to 11,000 cfs.
Flood Response
The construction of secondary dikes in Melita is progressing well to address sustained high river levels. Work includes the placement of flood-tube barriers on the existing community dike to add additional freeboard, and the construction of cage-barrier dikes along PTH 83. Precautionary sandbagging is also occurring around the town’s sewage lift station. The Souris River has now crested at Melita and no additional crests are anticipated, unless there is adverse weather.
In St-Lazare, work has been finalized to add one foot of additional freeboard to the community ring dike and complete the sandbagging of homes that are outside of the ring dike. Projected water levels for the Qu’Appelle and the Assiniboine rivers are well within the protection provided by the community ring dike and sandbag dikes.
Dike repairs continue along the Assiniboine River near Baie St. Paul.
Sandbagging is occurring around Oak Lake near Pipestone to protect cottages in the area.
Cottages are also being protected around Fish Lake in the RM of Armstrong in the Interlake area by raising the height of existing dikes by one foot for approximately 400 metres.
Provincial sandbagging machines are working in Hartney and The Pas to help protect these communities.
At the Sioux Valley First Nation, earth-moving machines are working to keep flood waters out of a sewage lagoon.
As a precautionary move, 42 residents from the St. Adolphe Personal Care Home have been transferred to a facility in Grunthal due to concerns about losing safe road access.
Residents and patients from the health-care facility in Gladstone who had been moved are returning and full services will resume between today and tomorrow. Residents and patients who had moved from Wawanesa last week will remain at an alternative site.
To date, there have been 26 STARS helicopter trips with 13 patients transferred.
The City of Winnipeg is setting up cage-barrier dikes near PTH 75 to provide additional protection for Turnbull Drive.
The rail line along the dikes at Emerson and Morris will be closed today to protect those communities.
Two homes and a barn near the U.S.-Canada border are being sandbagged to protect properties as flood waters affect the road along the border. The border road experienced some erosion and has been repaired.
Flood protection activities are ongoing in The Pas area. Five pump stations are in 24-hour operation in the Carrot River Valley. Two Amphibex machines are on standby to break up potential ice jams where they can safely work on the rivers. The forecast crest, which may be ice-jam induced, is one ft. Higher than the flood stage of 855 ft.
Approximately 60 people from the Red River Valley have been evacuated from their homes as the rising river affects road access to their properties.
An additional 12 people were evacuated from the RM of Cornwallis in the Brandon area because of overland flooding.
To date, 866 Manitobans have been evacuated from their homes primarily due to loss of safe road access. Some homes have been affected by seepage or flood waters, and residents are moving to ensure they are not isolated by the flood.
So far, 32 communities have declared states of local emergency. These declarations provide municipalities with additional tools to address flood-fighting efforts such as accessing private land or deploying equipment. During the 2009 flood, the second largest in 150 years, there were 16 states of local emergency declared by municipalities. The 2011 flood is affecting a larger geographic area and, so far, 32 communities have declared a state of local emergency.
There are still 77 provincial roads affected by flood waters with 55 closed or accessible to local traffic only. Approximately 530 municipal roads are closed. Many rivers and streams are rising or cresting, and overland flooding is continuing and, as a result, road closures can occur quickly. Motorists are advised to be cautious, avoid driving on water-covered roads and ensure they are aware of alternative routes.
Red River
The upper level of the forecasted range for the Red River still remains somewhat above 2009 levels for most points on the river.
Water levels on the main stem of the Red River between Emerson and St. Adolphe increased between 0.33 and 0.63 ft. since yesterday. Flows at Emerson this morning are 68,000 cfs and increasing. The river is expected to crest at Emerson April 24 to 27.
Water levels at James Avenue in Winnipeg decreased 0.7 ft. since yesterday to 18.36 ft. due to declining Assiniboine River flows. Levels will eventually increase as the Red River water from the U.S. enters Manitoba. Forecasted crest levels for Winnipeg at James Avenue are 20.1 to 22.8 ft. Between May 2 and 5. Flows at James Avenue this morning are approximately 51,800 cfs.
Assiniboine River
Flows on the Assiniboine River are dynamic due to ice movement and the decrease of river flows from operations at the Portage Diversion.
Water levels on the Assiniboine River near St-Lazare are forecast to reach 1,288.2 ft.
The Qu’Appelle River is forecast to peak April 21 to 24. Flows could reach record flood levels.
The Assiniboine River revised forecast predicts slightly higher flows from St-Lazare to Brandon. Forecasters have also revised the Assiniboine River forecast to better provide predicted inflows from the Souris River.
Flows in the Portage Diversion channel this morning are at 18,900 cfs and flows on the Assiniboine River downstream of the diversion are approximately 7,100 cfs. Inflow upstream of Portage la Prairie is 26,000 cfs.
Water levels in the Shellmouth Reservoir have increased 2.95 ft. since yesterday to 1,395.01 ft. The Shellmouth inflow is 16,700 cfs and outflow from the reservoir is 530 cfs.
Pembina River
Pelican Lake levels have exceeded 1,352.7 ft. and, as required in the operating rules in the Environment Act Licence, the outlet is in operation to allow maximum outflow from the lake.
Levels on Rock Lake decreased 0.18 ft. since yesterday.
The flood warning for the Pembina River has been moved to the downstream reach of the river between the Snowflake area and the U.S.-Canada border.
Souris River
The Souris River at Melita crested yesterday with no further crest predicted. Flows at Melita will remain high for the next seven days.
A second crest on the Souris River is forecast to reach similar or slightly higher water levels than the first crest at Wawanesa and Souris.
The Souris River continues to be over the banks at several locations. Since yesterday, water levels on the Souris River have increased 0.02 ft. at Melita, 1.19 ft. at Souris and 0.47 ft. at Wawanesa.
Northern Rivers and Lakes
Yesterday water levels at The Pas on the Saskatchewan River rose 0.67 ft. and one ft. on the Carrot River.
Other Major Waterways
Rivers and creeks in the Parkland region are receding, but some streams impacted by high elevation snowmelt are forecast to receive a second, lower crest.
The high water advisory for the Whitemud River near Gladstone has been removed.
The flood watch for the Fisher River area has been removed.
The Manitoba Flood Forecast Centre will be providing new information this year about the extent of ice coverage on Manitoba Lakes. This information is obtained from daily satellite imagery. Advisories will be provided based on potential ice movement on lakes due to wind. This information should help landowners understand the risk of ice buildup on shorelines.
For more information, please see www.manitoba.ca/flooding and find the most up-to-date highway information at www.gov.mb.ca/mit/roadinfo or 1-877-MBRoads (1-877-627-6237) andon Twitter by following @MBGov.
