July 06, 2005

The weather forecast for the rest of this week is not as favourable as earlier predicted.

• Environment Canada has reported that some showers which developed this morning have produced up to 35 mm of rain in the MacGregor and Rossendale area. About 20 mm of rain has also fallen in the Portage la Prairie area. This weather system will produce five to 15 mm of rain over portions of the Red River watershed south of Winnipeg this afternoon.

• An additional band of showers or thunderstorms is expected to cross southern Manitoba tomorrow evening, bringing 10 to 15 mm with local amounts of up to 25 mm. The additional precipitation may cause smaller streams to rise somewhat but it is unlikely that recent crests will be repeated.

Levels of the Red River remained steady at Emerson and Letellier but fell about a quarter foot from Morris to Winnipeg in the 24-hour period ending this morning.

• Levels from Lockport to Breezy Point declined about one-third of a foot.

• The level in the city of Winnipeg stood at 19.72 feet this morning. It is expected to fall to near 19 feet on the weekend.

• The Red River will decline very slowly in rural areas from now through the weekend despite the additional expected precipitation.

• Levels should fall more rapidly next week unless more rain develops.

All tributaries of the Red River have now crested. Minor over-bank flows are still occurring on some streams but these should end in the next day or two, unless tomorrow’s precipitation is heavier than expected.  

The Red River is above flood stage at most points with agricultural flooding of low-lying lands near the river. The river is now flooding land several miles on either side from Letellier to just south of Morris. The water is on the shoulder of PTH 75 in some areas south of Morris. Few buildings are threatened due to flood proofing following the 1997 flood.

The R.M. of Franklin continues to experience difficulties due to high flows on southern tributaries of the Roseau River west of Tolstoi. However, the levels of streams and the overland flooding are gradually declining. Problems with drainage, flooded fields, transportation and on-farm difficulties will continue at least until the weekend.

• The Roseau River fell half a foot at Dominion City and a quarter foot at Gardenton since yesterday morning. Levels should continue to fall in Manitoba, based on conditions in the U.S. portion of the river.

Significant flooding continues in the Pembina River watershed from Lorne Lake to Swan Lake.

• Rock Lake will fall very slowly and will be above flood stage for at least another week, affecting some cottages.

• Pelican Lake is about two feet above its summer target level but is now at its crest. This is the highest level on Pelican Lake since 1976.

• Flooding of low-lying areas from Swan Lake to La Rivière and Windygates is expected to develop late this week or on the weekend, but the second crest will be no higher than that which passed through last week. The level is beginning to rise at La Rivière today.

Levels of the Saskatchewan River and the lower Carrot River at The Pas rose 0.18 feet in the 24-hour period ending this morning. The crest is expected early next week.

• The height of the predicted crest is now 855.5 to 855.8 feet at Rall’s Island.

• The Saskatchewan Water Authority has reduced its forecast of outflows from Tobin Lake, which has resulted in a slight reduction of the crest forecast for The Pas.

• The level this morning at Rall’s Island was 855.26 feet. Dike construction and sandbagging of homes is complete.

The Assiniboine River crest is at Virden today and will reach Griswold (Oak Lake) late tomorrow and Brandon on Friday to Saturday. Additional rises of about half a foot are expected at Griswold and Brandon.

• Significant flooding of valley lands is occurring from Miniota to Brandon.

• The first crest for this event passed through Portage la Prairie yesterday with some flooding of seeded crops along the river southwest of Portage la Prairie.

• Levels from Baie St. Paul to west Winnipeg will be rising about two feet this weekend as flows in the Portage Diversion are decreased, but flooding is not anticipated.

• This is the greatest summer flood on the Assiniboine River since 1954.

The Souris River crest has been revised upward by half a foot because of higher than expected flows coming from the United States.

• The level at Melita rose half a foot since yesterday to 1,406.5 feet and is now expected to crest at 1,407 feet this weekend. The normal summer level at Melita is 1,396 feet.

• Flooding of farmland along the river from the U.S. boundary to Hartney will continue for the next two to three weeks. Buildings are not threatened but some municipal roads are being affected.

• This is the largest summer flood on record, but levels for the May-June flood of 1976 were about three feet higher.

Flooding continues along the Winnipeg River. The level at Nutimik returned to 907.1 feet this morning. The normal summer level is 901.5 feet. The river is likely to remain very high until late July.

High water levels continue to be experienced along the Nelson River due to high levels on Lake Winnipeg. Outflows on the lake are at the maximum possible for the present lake level.

Most lakes in southern Manitoba are at unusually high levels.

• Lake Winnipeg is at 715.9 feet and is expected to rise to 716.3 feet by late July.

• The normal level at this time of year is 714 feet.

• The level of Lake Manitoba is 813 feet, which is about one foot above average.

• The outflow from Lake Winnipeg continues to be at the maximum possible.

• Municipalities indicate that conditions are improving or stable, and there are no flood-related emergency responses at this time.

• Roseau River First Nation has evacuated 50 people to Winnipeg due to housing conditions resulting from seepage. The evacuation is being managed by the First Nation and the Manitoba Association of Native Fire Fighters.

• Wet basements from sewer backup, overland water and seepage are widely reported through southern Manitoba. Municipalities have identified about 380 affected homes so far, but that number will increase once impact assessments have been completed.

The Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) mobile command centre in Deloraine is continuing to co-ordinate provincial assistance. To date, 14 rural municipalities have declared local states of emergency. The EMO Emergency Operations Centre of remains open.

The provincial government will waive the fees for bacteriological testing of private drinking-water wells that have been affected by flooding.

As a precautionary measure, the chief medical officer of health for Manitoba advises that all people using water from wells or other sources that may have been affected by flooding should boil their water before using it or find alternative supplies of drinking water until flooding subsides and appropriate tests are satisfactory.

For further information on wells and water testing, contact your local drinking water officer, the Manitoba Office of Drinking Water at 204-945-5762 or Health Links-Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257. In order to access the Manitoba well-water fact sheets, visit the website at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cmoh/water.html.

For home and building owners affected by flooding, proper cleanup is important in protecting against health risks related to flood waters. Detailed information on how to clean up after flooding can be found on the Manitoba government website at http://www.gov.mb.ca/flood or by contacting your local municipal office.

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