City in good shape, says Katz

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This article was published 25/03/2009 (6349 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sandbagging has started at 34 homes in Winnipeg as the water level rises on the Red River, city officials said Tuesday.

Grant Mohr, the city’s land drainage and flood protection planning engineer, said the homes, many along Scotia Street in West Kildonan, will be sandbagged this week as the river comes up quickly above its banks. Crews were out last night surveying where temporary dikes should be built. Other homes are in south Winnipeg along Turnbull Drive, Cloutier Drive and Christie Road.

Mohr said the river has risen three to four feet a day since Saturday largely because of recent rain and snow and because a large part of the river is still frozen.

"Ice conditions will likely be a problem this year on the river and we’ll be closely monitoring that," he said. "It might cause a delay in opening the floodway structure because of ice conditions.

"Ice is still solid on the river. We’re not sure it will break up in the next two days."

Despite the river’s rapid rise and the recent rain and snow, city and provincial flood officials now believe the flood threat is not as severe as it was last week. But that could all change with more wet weather.

Mohr said the James Avenue level — the number officials use to gauge the height of the river — is currently at 13.9 feet and is expected to reach 20 feet by Thursday evening.

The most recent update from the province indicates that peak of the Red will hit the city April 12 – 17 and be in the range of 19 to 20.5 feet at James Avenue. For comparison, the 2006 level was 20.4 at James Avenue.

"Once the floodway gets opened, levels in the city should drop in the city approximately down to 19 feet and over the next two to the weeks we could be sitting at the 19 feet as the floodwaters from the U.S. move north," Mohr said.

He said ice has to move on the river upstream of the floodway before floodway gates are raised. That may happen by the end of the week when warmer temperatures return.

Mohr also said only about 70 homes in Winnipeg are at risk of flooding this spring, down from 292 homes forecasted last week.

"The expansion of the floodway will greatly improve the flood situation when the U.S. peaks come through," he said. "That’s the reason why we’re standing down to the 19 to 20.5 foot range."

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Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz said he’s confident the city is well-prepared to deal with the flood, given that sandbags are already being filled and owners of potentially threatened homes have been contacted about the risk.

"There are some who probably say our preparation might be in excess of what we need, but you know what? In a situation like that you want to be safe," the mayor said. "Obviously there’s going to be a cost to that."

Katz said it cost Winnipeg $11 million to fight the 1997 flood, so the flood-fighting tab for this year is bound to be less, given the current forecast.

The city also warned residents who live along the river to move or secure any structures or equipment near the water’s edge, such as docks, sheds, gazebos, irrigation pumps, and recreational equipment. Other homeowners should check sump pumps and backwater valves on an ongoing basis to prevent basement flooding.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca