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Residents say province’s bid to protect Winnipeg by diverting water into Lake Manitoba greatly increased the damage they suffered
A group of frustrated Lake Manitoba residents is suing the province for $260 million for what they say was the artificial flooding of their homes, cottages and property in 2011. “That was a man-made flood, and it was a government decision that caused it,” said Fred Pisclevich, one of the plaintiffs hoping the lawsuit willDry soil and low river and lake levels will help — but a quick melt and more precipitation are the big worries now
The provincial government says flooding shouldn’t be as bad as in 2011, but in many areas it may come down to the effectiveness of its ice-breaking efforts. “We could be into a very rapid melt during which that American water, or water in our tributaries, could meet up against solid ice,” said Steve Topping, directorThe province is preparing for spring flooding, as heavy helpings of snow and a late melt buoy the likelihood of high water
Recent snowfall has increased the risk of flooding in Manitoba this spring, according to government officials. Although the widespread and prolonged flooding of 2011 isn’t expected at this time, the province is preparing to close community ring dikes in the Red River Valley and expects Highway 75 to be closed for a period of weeks.April showers could bring more than May flowers in Manitoba this spring, as a heavy snowpack elevates the potential risk of spring flooding in some areas
Manitoba’s flood forecasters say there is a risk of minor to moderate flooding in some areas of the province this spring, including along the Red River, the Souris and Assiniboine rivers, as well as in the Interlake region. Although the actual 2013 flood forecast is still some weeks away, Manitoba’s minister of infrastructure and transportationFarmers downstream maintain that province’s “blame it on the rain” position doesn’t hold water
This year’s flooding of cropland along the Assiniboine River downstream from the Shellmouth Dam couldn’t have been prevented, according to the province. “The Assiniboine Valley producers are farming vulnerable, low-lying Assiniboine Valley lands. In the 2011 and 2012 flood years, the inundation of crops was a natural occurrence,” according to a new report by theDucks Unlimited expert says many farmers aren’t obtaining drainage permits because “it’s much easier to dig the ditch and then beg forgiveness later”
If farmers along the Assiniboine River are wondering where all that water came from this spring, Peter Onofreychuk believes he has a pretty good idea. On a giant aerial photo unrolled on his kitchen table, the farmer from MacNutt, Sask., shows where drainage ditches have been dug on land upstream from him by a 12,000-acre
