January 19, 2016
Province Accepts Report on Next Steps to Protect Manitobans from Floods, Will Consult on Moving Forward
– – –Study Recommends One-in-200-year Flood Protection for Assiniboine River/Lake Manitoba Basins: Premier Selinger
The Manitoba government has received recommendations from an independent study that urges upgrading major components of the province’s flood-management system and adding a new channel for Lake Manitoba to provide one-in-200-year flood protection for people around Lake Manitoba, Lake St. Martin and the lower Assiniboine River, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
The province will also review natural solutions and the role surface-water management can play in protecting Manitobans from flood damage, the premier added.
“First Nations and other communities across Manitoba will have a say in how we move forward with flood protection,” Premier Selinger said. “The recommendations from the Assiniboine River/Lake Manitoba Basins Flood Mitigation Study gives us the information we need to work together to protect Manitobans. These measures will complement our innovative climate-change initiatives and flood-mitigation measures, such as wetland restoration and retention.”
The study focused on communities and major infrastructure along the Assiniboine, Souris, Qu’Appelle, Fairford and Dauphin rivers, Dauphin Lake, lakes Manitoba and St. Martin and Shoal Lakes. It examined vulnerability to flood damage, identified and assessed potential options to reduce flood risk, and made recommendations to reduce damage.
The next steps will include consulting with Indigenous and local communities on possible steps forward, and pursuing thorough regulatory and environmental approvals, the premier noted. The premier said the full implementation of the recommendations will be done over a period of time and will be done with full consultations with all affected communities.
In addition to the flood infrastructure that will help protect communities during major floods, the province recognizes the importance of complementary natural solutions and will further support surface-water management and adaptation, including support for research and the Prairies Regional Adaptation Collaborative, and implement innovative solutions that serve many purposes, the premier said.
"We are committed to supporting initiatives around wetland restoration that serve the multiple goals of flood mitigation, drought management, nutrient reduction and greenhouse-gas reduction,” Premier Selinger said.
The full report of the AssiniboineRiver/Lake Manitoba Basins Flood Mitigation Study is available at www.gov.mb.ca/mit/wms/wm/study.html.
- 30 -