Flood protection coming for several Manitoba communities

The Manitoba government is dishing out funding for permanent flood protection toAlbert, Patricia and Pebble beaches, as well as the communities of Willow Island and Riverton.

The funding is coming fromthe Building Manitoba Fund, the program for sharing provincial tax revenue withmunicipalities,Premier Greg Selingersaid.

Although there is funding available for flood-related activities through the federal-provincial Disaster Financial Assistance arrangements, not all projects qualify under federal guidelines.The provincially funded Building Manitoba Fund (BMF) has more flexibility for important projects,he said.

The projects include:

• RM of Gimli Willow Island access road improvements

The island is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. High water levels on the lake, combined with other weather events, often cause the road to go underwater.The grant will allow the RM to undertake improvements to the access road which is susceptible to flooding. The province, through the BMF, will fund 90 per cent of the work to a maximum of $300,000.

• RM of St. Clements Patricia Beach community dike

The Patricia Beach diking project will help protect approximately 60 individual residences and cottages. The area sustained considerable damage in the October 2010 weather bomband has been subject to flooding again in 2014.

• Storm packs a windy, rainy, snowy punch
• Cottagers face water damage

The province, through theBMF, will fund 90 per cent of the work to a maximum of $800,000.

• RM of Victoria Beach Albert Beach flood protection

The RM of Victoria Beach is currently evaluating options for increased protection including rehabilitating existing protection that has been damaged.

• Lake Winnipeg RM preparing to declare state of emergency
• State of local emergency declared in RM of Victoria Beach

The province, through the BMF, will fund 90 per cent of the work to a maximum of $300,000.

• RM of Bifrost Pebble Beach Flood Protection

The Pebble Beach area, adjacent to Lake Winnipeg, is increasing protection building on works that were undertaken in 2005.

• Village of Riverton Community Dike

The Icelandic River that runs through the RM of Bifrost has a very narrow channel south of the Village of Riverton.This project will provide permanent flood protection in the vicinity of the Riverton High School.The work will consist of raising an existing road, constructing a new dike, and associated drainage and remedial work.