Plans to increase flow in Assiniboine shouldn't affect Forks skating trails

A Plan to increase the flow from the Shellmouth Reservoir will increase the water level of the Assiniboine River, but shouldn’t affect the skating trails that have grown to 6.3 kilometres at The Forks.

"This happens every year," said Chelsea Thomson, The Forks marketing manager. "We don’t expect to see any difference."

Manitoba Infrastructure announced Friday its Hydrologic Forecast Centre will increase the flow from the Shellmouth Reservoir to 650 cubic feet per second in the next few days, as part of the annual fall/winter draw down to make room for anticipated spring runoff from the upper Assiniboine.

"This increase in the outflow will raise Assiniboine River water levels 2.5 feet (76 centimetres) downstream of the Shellmouth Dam, but only one foot at the downstream end on the Assiniboine River within Winnipeg," the province said in a news release. "The rise is expected to arrive in Winnipeg in about two weeks."

After the 30 cm rise hits the city limits, it drops by the time it reaches The Forks downtown, where the Red River absorbs much of the water, said Thomson.

"The ice sheet is dynamic — it expands and contracts with air temperature as with water levels," she said. "It’s not expected to affect The Forks, but we monitor the ice at all access points several times and day."

The Forks’ manager of special projects is on the Shellmouth dam liaison committee and is kept up to speed on such changes, she said.

The Forks announced Friday that visitors to the national historic site can now skate 6.3 km on the Red and Assiniboine rivers, and the 2019 warming huts will pop up on the trail next week.

The Red River Mutual Trail has been expanded down both the city’s main rivers to Churchill Drive on the Red River and to the Hugo Street Docks on the Assiniboine.

The trail is groomed daily, with The Forks posting skating conditions online.

The province said it will continue to monitor conditions in the upper Assiniboine River, as well as downstream river levels.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca