July 11, 2005

With rainfall in most areas less than expected, Manitoba Water Stewardship has ended most of the flood watches and advisories which had been issued in recent days for much of southern Manitoba.

The watch continues for an area between Winnipeg and St. Laurent where 50 mm of rain fell last night. Streams such as Sturgeon Creek and Grassmere Drain will run near bank-full for the next few days and there will be renewed overland flows and on-farm flooding in the region.

Most small streams in southern Manitoba continue to decline. However those in the area between Winnipeg and PTH 34 including most western tributaries of the Red River, the Westlake area and the southern Interlake area will rise as a result of last night’s rain.

The weather forecast indicates that localized thrunderstorms may produce another 10 to 20 mm of rain in eastern Manitoba today. Little or no rain is expected in southern Manitoba from tomorrow through Thursday.

• The Assiniboine River is still above flood stage from Virden to Portage la Prairie. The crest is now in the Spruce Woods area and should reach Portage la Prairie late tomorrow.

• The river level at PTH 34 rose one foot in the 24-hour period ending this morning. Both Portage Diversion flows and river flows at Southport will be increased as flows rise.

• Near bank-full conditions will develop from Portage la Prairie to Headingley by the middle of this week.

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

• The Souris River continues to fall slowly at Melita and is near its crest at Napinka and at Hartney.

• Additional rises of one-third of a foot are expected at Souris and at Wawanesa in the next day or two.

• An additional rise of half a foot is expected at Coulter before the crest occurs next weekend. Extensive flooding of valley lands is underway but crests are about two feet lower than those of May 1999.

• Levels of the Red River declined from one-third of a foot at Emerson to one foot at the floodway inlet in the 24-hour period ending this morning.

• The level in downtown Winnipeg rose to 19.8 feet due to heavy local rain in west Winnipeg. River levels in the city area will be in the 19.5 to 19.9 foot range for the next few days and will then decline unless additional precipitation develops.

• The flow in the Red River Floodway this morning was 11,900 cubic feet per second. Red River levels at the floodway inlet will be maintained near 758 feet later this week to allow levels in the city of Winnipeg to decrease.

• Sewer backup remains a serious concern while river levels are above 15 feet.  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 Saskatchewan River and the lower Carrot River at The Pas rose 0.05 feet in the 24-hour period ending this morning as the river is now very near its crest. The level this morning at Rall’s Island was 855.56 feet and the water has risen up against some portions of the dike.

• A 60 to 70 mm rainstorm in the Gilbert Plains and Grandview area yesterday has resulted in sharp rises on the Valley River and some smaller streams in the area. Most streams will remain within their banks but some small streams may be over-bank for a short time today.

• Portions of the Whitemud River received 25 to 35 mm of rain yesterday. Localized flooding may result in these areas.

• Rainfall was also heavy in the Fisher Bay and the Bloodvein River areas where localized flooding is expected.

• The crest on the Pembina River is now at La Rivière. Extensive flooding of valley lands from Lorne Lake to La Rivière continues. The level of Pelican Lake is now the highest on record at 1,354.1 feet. The outflow is at the maximum possible and should prevent a further rise without additional rain. 

• The level at Windygates rose 1.7 feet since yesterday due to run-off from last night’s rain and the increased flows from La Rivière. The additional rise at Windygates should be less than half a foot.

• Levels of the Roseau River changed very little in the past 24 hours. No rise is expected as rainfall has been relatively light.   

• Flooding continues along the Winnipeg River with a level of 906.7 feet at Nutimik Lake this morning.  The normal summer level is 901.5 feet. The river is likely to remain above flood stage 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 and many are still rising.

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