Manitoba Water Stewardship

Thunderstorms last night brought 35-75 mm of rain to a band from just north of Morden to St. Anne, Whitemouth and the Whiteshell.

A second band of heavy rain fell just south of the international Boundary in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Rainfall of up to 25 mm was also recorded in the Dauphin and Pine River areas and in eastern Saskatchewan between Yorkton and the Manitoba boundary.

Little or no rain is expected from today to Saturday.

Highlights:

A FLOOD ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE ST. ANNE, WHITEMOUTH AND WHITESHELL AREAS.

A HIGH WATER LEVEL ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE RED RIVER.

THE HIGH WATER LEVEL ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR NOPIMING PROVINCIAL PARK

A HIGH WATER LEVEL ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE UPPER PRMBINA WATERSHED FROM LENA TO SNOWFLAKE.

THE HIGH WATER LEVEL ADVISORY FOR THE ASSINIBOINE RIVER FROM SHELLMOUTH TO MILLWOOD IS ENDED.

Eastern Manitoba:

A flood advisory has been issued for areas from St. Anne to Whitemouth and Whiteshell Provincial Park. Another heavy rainfall of 50-75 mm last night is causing rapid rises in streams in the area. Lakes in the Whiteshell are rising even higher and may cause further difficulties with boathouses and some low-lying cottages. Rising river levels have already overtopped some roads in the Whiteshell and further rises are expected. Logs have been removed from most dams controlling levels in the Whiteshell and there is little further that can be done in terms of dam operations. Problems due to high lake levels are likely to persist at least until mid July even if the wet spell ends now.

Nopiming Park received an additional 20 mm or rain last night, which may cause minor rises in river and lakes. However the level of Bird Lake has declined by nearly 1.5 feet from its crest three weeks ago and is not expected to rise significantly due to the recent rains.

Lakes along the Winnipeg River are at near normal levels. Lake Of The Woods still remains below its average level for this time of year.

Red River Watershed:

A high water level advisory continues for the Red River.

The Red River rose more than one foot at Emerson and 0.6 to 0.7 feet from Letellier to The Floodway Inlet during the 24 hour period ending this morning. The river level in downtown Winnipeg rose 0.3 feet since yesterday and stood at15 feet this morning, 8.5 feet above the normal summer level. The river is expected to rise to16 feet in downtown Winnipeg by Thursday and remain near that level until July 4. The predicted broad (flat) crest is due to anticipated effects of major flood control works.

The Portage Diversion was put into operation yesterday afternoon to reduce rising flows on the Assiniboine River. Diversion flows will be gradually increased throughout this week to reduce the Assiniboine River flow at Portage la Prairie from about 5000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1000 cfs. This will reduce the crest in downtown Winnipeg by about one foot on the long weekend and will reduce the chance of sewer backup due to possible heavy downpours over the City during the next few weeks. Some flow is also expected to naturally flow into the Red River Floodway beginning later this week.

The crest of the Red River has been revised upward due to the additional rain which has fallen in areas between Grand Forks to Winnipeg during the past few days. Runoff from the last few rains has been quite significant and will result in a higher crest in the Manitoba portion. The Pembina River and most Manitoba tributaries of the Red River from Grand Forks northward have risen quite sharply in the past 24 hours. Additional anticipated rises now range from 3 to 4 feet from Emerson to the Floodway Inlet and about two feet from Lockport to Selkirk.

Flooding of some low-lying agricultural lands is expected in the area from Letellier to St. Jean but elsewhere the river will remain within its banks. This is one of the largest summer events for the Red River although peak stages will still be 3-5 feet lower than those of the record summer flood of 2005.

A high water level advisory for portions of the Pembina River watershed from Lena to Snowflake continues. This area received up to 100 mm of rain Sunday night and eastern portions received an additional 20 mm last night. Localized flooding is underway and some small streams may reach bankfull capacity. Flooding is not expected along the mainstem of the Pembina River and no problems are anticipated in the Gretna area.

A flood sheet for the Red River is attached.

Assiniboine River:

A high water level advisory for the Assiniboine River from Shellmouth to Millwood is now ended as water levels have declined to below bankfull levels.

The Shellmouth Reservoir level, inflow and outflow have resumed their decline. The reservoir water level this morning was 1410.23 feet with a spillway flow of1550 cfs. Saskatchewan Water Authority continues to restrict outflows from Good Spirit Lake to reduce flows at Kamsack but this is likely to end later this week.

The reservoir inflow this morning is estimated at 1600 cfs. There has been no flow through the conduit since 10 a.m. June 7 but conduit flow may resume this Friday to maintain outflows between 1500 and 1600 cfs.

A flood sheet for the Assiniboine River is attached.

Northwest:

Streams in the Dauphin and Duck Mountain region are still running high. An additional 25 mm of rain has caused some streams in the area to rise again. Localized flooding has been reported by regional MIT staff.

Lake Winnipegosis is presently at its highest level since the mid 1950’s. Additional shoreline flooding could occur in low areas if strong winds develop during the next six weeks.

Water levels remain very high in the Saskeram area west-northwest of The Pas. While no homes are flooded, there are continued difficulties with cattle due to flooded pastures.