Assiniboine River Dikes

• On each side of the Assiniboine River east of Portage la Prairie there are approximately 67 km (41.6 miles) of dikes - a total of 134 km (83.2 miles) - from Portage la Prairie to just east of Baie St. Paul.
• The dikes were first constructed by the federal government in 1912, reinforced in 1950 and again improved in the years following the 1997 flood. Responsibility for the dikes is now with the Manitoba government, but was a federal responsibility until 1996.
• The dikes protect farmland, farms and residences as well as the communities of Elie, La Salle, Sanford and Starbuck which would be affected if the Assiniboine River flows overtopped the dikes.
• The Manitoba government is strengthening this diking system again this year in preparation for a potential spring flood.