Evacuees from Rivers allowed to return home after province clears dam

People who were evacuated from near the spillway at the Rivers, Man., dam can start to go home.

The province announced Monday that engineers have been have been monitoring the water levels and condition of the spillway, and there is no substantial damage, according to a news release.

Last week, the dam saw unprecedented water levels pouring over the spillway.

Record-setting flooding was recorded on theLittle SaskatchewanRiver, which impacted the municipalities of Riverdale, Whitehead and Cornwallis, as well asthe City of Brandon.

Nearly40 homes were evacuated because the province wasn't confident in the 60-year-old structure.

"We thank municipal officials for their tremendous effort and co-operation during this most challenging time," said Infrastructure Minister RonSchuler in a release.

"We also thank provincial staff and onsite crews for their tireless efforts to co-ordinate this response."

Engineers now say the churning water caused no damage to the dam and people can startto return home.

Manitoba Emergency Measures says officials will continue to monitor the dam 24 hours a dayuntil water levels recede further.

The province recommends that nobody useLake Wahtopanah until water levels recede further.

Meanwhile, the City of Brandon plans to maintain its high water preparedness plan for the next few weeks until the threat of flash flooding abates, according to a news release issued on Monday.

Officials say while the structural integrity of the Rivers Dam is sound, the levels of water in the spillway are above flooding levels and are likely to stay that way.

For that reason, the city is asking people who previously received evacuation preparationnotices earlier in the month to be ready to leave on short notice.