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Overland Flooding Warnings, High Water Advisories Continue for Northwest, Southwest, Interlake and Dauphin Regions of Manitoba

Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre has continued overland flood warnings and high water advisories for the northwest, Interlake and southwest regions of Manitoba including Reston and low-lying lands around Dauphin.

An unstable weather system brought additional significant rainfall and thunderstorms to portions of southern and central Manitoba in the last 24 hours.

• Overland flooding reports, including road washouts and flooding of low-lying campgrounds, have been received from Reston and Dauphin areas.
• Unconfirmed reports indicate that some homes may have been affected in the Dauphin region.
• Rain fell in areas that were already wet from last weekend’s storm.
• As of this morning, the following rainfall amounts have been reported from areas that had significant rain:

• Several locations in southern and northern Manitoba reported rainfall accumulations ranging from five to 25 millimetres (mm).
• Up to 15 mm of rain is forecast for southern Manitoba and 20 to 40 mm in the Interlake and northern regions in the next two days.

Impacts on Rivers

• Water levels in streams have increased significantly with some rivers rising above the peak levels experienced earlier in the year during the spring run-off.
• Several areas in southwest Manitoba are still at risk of continued flooding including the Reston and Dauphin areas.  Low-lying areas, including campgrounds in Dauphin, are particularly vulnerable.
• A summary of the rise in selected rivers is presented in the table below:

•  Most rivers appear to be rising or cresting.
• Additional forecast precipitation may cause streams to rise further or slow the recession of water levels.

Saskatchewan River

• Water levels on the Saskatchewan River in The Pas area are expected to approach 2011 levels as floodwater from Alberta moves east through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba.
• The flood crest in The Pas is expected between July 8 and 15, depending on Saskatchewan flood control operations and weather conditions.
• The Ralls Island dike in The Pas is expected to handle projected levels as it was elevated to withstand floods greater than the 2011 flood.
• The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency continues to release water from the Lake Diefenbaker and Tobin reservoirs to make room for floodwater from Alberta.  These steps will significantly reduce the natural flood peak in Manitoba.
• Outflows from Lake Diefenbaker reservoir are 71,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).  The outflow from Tobin Lake downstream of Saskatoon and Prince Albert stands at 106,000 cfs.  Based on conditions in the North and South Saskatchewan rivers, Saskatchewan will likely increase Tobin Lake outflows in the next few days. 
• The Hydrologic Forecast Centre will monitor the river conditions and provide updated forecasts for the Saskatchewan River.

Impacts on communities

City of Brandon

• There are reports of both overland flooding and sewer backup.  Part of the water treatment plant flooded from water off 26th Street but remains in operation. 

RM of Wallace

• The RM of Wallace declared a state of local emergency on June 25 due to heavy rains and overland flooding.
• At last report, 16 municipal roads were closed due to overland flooding and one road was cut to relieve damages to a flooded home and one basement flooded.
• Municipal crews are working to reopen the roads.

RM of Albert

• The RM of Albert continues a state of local emergency declared on June 23 due to heavy rains and overland flooding.

RM of Edward

• The RM of Edward continues a state of local emergency declared on June 24 due to heavy rains and overland flooding.

RM of Pipestone