Flooding Fears in Manitoba Subside

WINNIPEG – Fears of a massive flood in southern Manitoba have eased. The Assiniboine River has started to subside near Portage la Prairie.

“We have hit crest, the waters are declining. The good news really is the degree to which the preparation certainly is paying off,” stated Manitoba’s Emergency Measures Minister Steve Ashton.

For the past six days, the province has been working hard to stave off what could have been a terrible flood. That hard work now appears to be paying off.

Updated Forecast for Second Crest

Flows on the Assiniboine River west of Brandon have been increasing as water moves through the system.

The revised forecast for a second crest in Brandon calls for peak flows of 34,000 to 36,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) between tomorrow and July 13. Peak flows are expected to last for a day or two before gradually declining.

The revised forecast for a second crest at the Portage Diversion calls for peak flows of 46,000 to 47,500 cfs between July 14 and 16. Peak flows are expected to last for a day or two before gradually declining.

The forecast information from yesterday was fine-tuned based on additional flow measurements on the Assiniboine River last night and this morning.
Existing flood protection along the Assiniboine River is expected to be adequate for the forecast second crest.

Up-to-date flood information can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/flooding/, on mobile devices at www.manitoba.ca or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBGov.