May 31, 2004

The recent storms have brought 40 to 60 mm of rain to much of southern Manitoba and a little more is expected today in western parts of the province.

The greatest impact of the recent rain has been in southeastern Manitoba from PTH 34 east to the Ontario boundary where soil moisture was very high from previous rains. This has resulted in standing water on fields and some overland flooding in the area. Streams are running high but are still within their banks and are expected to remain so with the odd exception.

The water table is near the surface, resulting in some seepage into basements in many areas including the City Of Winnipeg.

Roseau River levels have risen a further one to 1.5 feet in the Manitoba portion due to the rain and a further rise of about one foot is expected by the time the crest occurs in the next few days. This will put the level slightly above flood stage in the Stuartburn area. Sandbagging of a few additional homes may be necessary.

The heavy rain will result in another crest on the Red River which will be considerably higher than the crest of May 19 to 20. The river will remain within its banks but could rise close to flood stage in the St. Jean area. The downtown Winnipeg level had risen to 11 feet this morning and is expected to be near 15 feet by late this week. Crests from St. Adolphe to Lockport may occur before the crest at Emerson due to heavy run-off from Manitoba tributaries. Crests from Emerson to Ste. Agathe are expected June 8 to 10.

A small amount of water may flow naturally through the Red River Floodway near the time of the crest, but no floodway operation is expected.

Winnipeg River levels continue to rise. Nutimik Lake this morning was 904.8 feet, which is 3.8 feet above the normal summer level. A further rise of close to one foot is expected in the next week or so. This will put the crest at 1.6 feet below that of July 2002.

Heavy run-off in western Manitoba is causing sharp rises on the Whitemud River, Turtle River and many other streams, but all are expected to remain within their banks. The outflow from Dauphin Lake was increased today to maintain suitable levels on the lake. The outflow from the Shellmouth Reservoir will be increased later this week after local run-off downstream of the reservoir has subsided.

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