Winnipeg River receding in Manitoba after record Whiteshell flood

Owners of resorts and cottages along the Winnipeg River in Whiteshell Provincial Park can breathe a sigh of relief, as the Manitoba portion of the waterway is receding following a record flood.

The Winnipeg River has crested from the Ontario border to Seven Sisters Falls, according to the Lake of the Woods Control Board.

The river's peak flow at Seven Sisters Falls was approximately 125,000 cubic feet per second. That's roughly three and a half times the usual volume for this time of year.

The river is now starting to drop and should continue to do so over the next week, mainly because the English River — a  major tributary that enters the Winnipeg River just across the Ontario border — has crested for the season.

"This trend is expected to continue over the coming week if the drier weather persists through the forecast period," the Lake of the Woods Control Board said in a Monday statement.

Provincial Road 307 remains closed at the entrance of Whiteshell Provincial Park to anyone but property owners affected by the flooding. 

Lake of the Woods itself, however, is still rising. It has risen within 1.1 feet of its record crest of 1,064 feet above sea level, achieved during the flood of 1950.

The control board said Lake of the Woods is expected to continue rising until mid-June. This will also drive up water levels on the Winnipeg River at cottage areas immediately northwest of the lake, such as Minaki, Ont.

Lake Winnipeg continues to rise

The high flows on the Winnipeg River are adding to the flood on Lake Winnipeg, which had risen to 716.2 feet above sea level as of Monday.

Manitoba Hydro, which uses Lake Winnipeg as a reservoir, expects the lake to continue rising to close to 717 feet by mid-July.

Hydro is required to let as much water out of the lake as possible once it rises to 715 feet.