July 08, 2005

Manitoba Water Stewardship has issued a flood advisory for portions of western Manitoba between PTH 83 and PTH 34 from Rivers south to the U.S. boundary.

• Last night’s heavy thundershowers brought 40 to 70 mm of rain to this area. The Brandon area appears to have experienced the heaviest rain and the worst flash flooding.

• Levels of larger streams such as the Turtlehead River, Pembina River at Killarney, Elgin Creek and the Little Souris River will continue to rise until tonight or tomorrow but smaller streams are already declining.

• Some over-bank flows may occur in low-lying portions of most streams in the designated area and overland flooding is underway in some areas.

Rainfall amounts in this area may be less than radar and some preliminary estimates suggested. It appears the north slopes received 50 to 75 mm.

• Minor flooding will occur on streams flowing off the mountain but flooding should be significantly less than that experienced in June.

• Problems at Deloraine should also be less severe than those which occurred in June.

The Pelican Lake area received 65 mm of rain which may cause the lake to rise to about half a foot, resulting in a possible record-high level. Rock Lake may rise back up to the crest of July 4 and peak levels from Swan Lake to La Rivière will be a foot higher than earlier predicted, with significant valley flooding.

The storm resulted in a quick rise of one foot on the Assiniboine River at Brandon but no further rise is expected as rainfall northwest of Virden was minimal.

• The Assiniboine River is expected to rise two to three feet from Spruce Woods to Portage la Prairie in the next three to four days, with significant over-bank flows.

• Points from Portage la Prairie to Winnipeg will escape flooding due to operation of the Portage Diversion.

Levels of the Souris River will be higher due to the storm and the crest at Melita will be delayed.

• The Souris River has already crested at the town of Souris due to heavy local run-off.

• A further rise of one foot is expected at Wawanesa by late tonight.

• The crest at Coulter and Melita will be one to two feet higher due to the storm and the crest will be delayed to mid-July.

• Serious flooding will develop from the U.S. boundary to Hartney, but it will still be less than that of May 1999.

Levels of the Red River have declined half a foot from Ste. Agathe to the floodway inlet since yesterday.

• The declines from Emerson to Morris and from Winnipeg to Breezy Point were less than
  0.3 feet.

• The level in the city of Winnipeg rose to 19.86 feet this morning due to the rain.

• The level in the city will change little in the next few days. The flow in the Red River Floodway this morning was 16,700 cubic feet per second. Red River levels will continue to decline at most points as rainfall in the watershed was only in the 15 to 25 mm range but the rate of decline will be slowing down.

• Minor rises could occur from Emerson to St. Jean. Flooding will continue for another week or so.

• Even with future dryer weather, it will be late July before levels return to near normal. This is the second-highest level on the Red River in Winnipeg since the floodway was first operated in 1969. The level in 1997 was 24.5 feet. The usual summer level at The Forks is 6.3 feet.

Levels of the Roseau River changed very little in the past 24 hours and only minor rises of half a foot or so are expected due to the rain. The R.M. of Franklin continues to experience some overland flow problems. The 25 mm of rain last night has been a temporary setback.

Levels of the Saskatchewan River and the lower Carrot River at The Pas rose 0.07 feet in the
24-hour period ending this morning. The crest is expected this weekend.

• 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 855.44 feet.

• The height of the predicted crest is now 855.6 feet at Rall’s Island.

Residents who use well water and live in flooded areas are encouraged to have well water tested. The provincial government has waived the fees for testing of private drinking-water wells that have been affected by flooding. A public notice is being sent to the rural municipalities of Rockwood and Woodlands, St. Laurent, Coldwell, Eriksdale, Armstrong, Grahamdale, Fisher and Bifrost. Many wells in these areas have limited protective soil that restricts downward movement of water which further increases the risk for wells to be affected by surface water.

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 water test results 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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