Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Channel progressing, secondary one in works

Sub-channel would drain right into Lake Winnipeg

By: Larry Kusch

Posted: 10/12/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

GOVERNMENT HANDOUT PHOTO Enlarge Image

Work continues on a channel from Lake St. Martin to Big Buffalo Lake.

WORK on a channel to lower swollen Lake St. Martin and Lake Manitoba is going so swimmingly that engineers are already contemplating construction of a secondary outlet to boost its efficiency.

The sub-channel would divert water from Buffalo Creek directly into Lake Winnipeg, easing pressure on the Dauphin River. Work could begin later this fall or over winter.

Go with the flow

Existing drainage:

Lake Manitoba flows through the Fairford control structure into Lake Pineimuta and then the lower Fairford River into Lake St. Martin, which drains through the Dauphin River into Lake Winnipeg.

Emergency channel:

The province is spending up to $100 million to create a second outlet from Lake St. Martin by excavating a channel to Big Buffalo Lake, which drains through Big Buffalo Creek to the Dauphin River, before it flows into Lake Winnipeg.

Sub-channel:

Things are going so well that the province is contemplating a secondary outlet from Buffalo Creek to Lake Winnipeg. The new drain would allow the channel to work more efficiently -- especially during spring runoff.

It was always part of the master plan, but engineers didn't think they would be able to make the improvement this soon.

'It's like putting a second drain in your bathtub. You'd drain it a lot faster'

-- Paul White, spokesman for the provincial Water Stewardship department, on the possibility of moving up construction of a sub-channel

Flood Fight

Flood Fight

The latest news about flooding in southern Manitoba this spring.

Favourable fall weather has given the province confidence that it can complete its ambitious $100-million emergency channel by Nov. 1.

Engineers are looking at moving up construction of the sub-channel, although a final decision has not yet been made, said Paul White, a spokesman for the provincial Water Stewardship department.

When completed, the second outlet would make the new main channel more efficient, especially during spring runoff. "It's like putting a second drain in your bathtub. You'd drain it a lot faster," White said.

Premier Greg Selinger said Tuesday the secondary drain would not necessarily put the project over budget. "They still think they can do it for $100 million," he said of the project's managers.

Selinger briefed Prime Minister Stephen Harper about the channel and other emergency flood mitigation and relief work before the Winnipeg Jets' inaugural game at the MTS Centre on Sunday. The two leaders also discussed the Canadian Wheat Board, the Port of Churchill, health-care funding -- and, of course, hockey. "It did seem to come up once or twice," the premier joked on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, the province pegged the cost of flood-fighting and compensation programs for the 2011 flood at $632 million. Manitoba anticipates Ottawa will cover about $478 million of that. (The overall estimate is expected to rise as the full extent of the flood damage is assessed.)

Selinger said he and Harper did not get into detail on who will pay for what. "I just gave him a big-picture look at what we're doing and why we're doing it."

The premier said senior provincial bureaucrats have been keeping their federal counterparts informed on the ambitious outlet channel and projected disaster financial assistance (DFA) payments. He said the talks have been cordial and that Ottawa will soon front up to $100 million to the province, which has been using its own money, so far, to make DFA payments and make emergency road repairs.

Meanwhile, Selinger said that while Manitoba is adamantly opposed to Ottawa's decision to pass a law to eliminate the Canadian Wheat Board's marketing monopoly, the premier and the prime minister did find some "common ground" in the need to keep the Port of Churchill viable. The wheat board is the northern port's biggest customer.

Selinger said he also made sure Harper was aware of the potential impact on CWB corporate head office jobs in Winnipeg from a greatly changed wheat board.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 12, 2011 A3

(You must be logged in to post your reaction)

Your reaction?

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.