Red River floodway expansion clears final hurdle

Manitoba has given final approval to a multimillion-dollar project that will double the size of the Red River floodway to protect Winnipeg.

The provincial government has issued the licences needed for the Manitoba Floodway Authority to begin the expansion, Conservation Minister Stan Struthers announced on Monday.

"Over the past few weeks, the floodway has proven how critical it is to flood protection efforts and has highlighted the importance of the expansion project," Struthers said in a statement

He was referring to the widespread flooding that hit the province in recent weeks.

The licensing follows weeks of hearings before the Clean Environment Commission this year.

The $665-million project will double the size of the 47-kilometre ditch that diverts rising waters from the Red River around Winnipeg.

Opponents of the expansion claimed the project might contaminate groundwater north of the city.

The province has agreed to institute a monitoring program to make sure groundwater stays safe.

Manitoba Water Stewardship will operate the expanded floodway.

The original floodway was built in the 1960s, in response to a devastating flood in 1950. More earth was excavated during its construction than was taken up in the building of the Panama Canal.

• CBC ARCHIVES: Red River Rising: The Winnipeg Floodway

In 1997, flood waters came close to overwhelming the flood control system and an emergency dike had to be constructed south of the city.

Southern Manitoba on alert for flash floods

Flood advisories remain in place for much of southern Manitoba after thunderstorms rolled across the area early Monday, bringing more rain.

In Portage la Prairie, for example, 45 millimetres of rain fell. Charleswood and Stonewall also had heavy amounts of rainfall.

Officials from Manitoba Water Stewardship warned that the rain could produce heavy run-off and flash flooding.

The Assiniboine River is already above flood stage from Virden to Portage. Officials said this is the most severe summer flood on the Assiniboine since 1954.

The levels of the Red River declined somewhat Sunday, but the river's levels aren't expected to return to normal until late July.

Meanwhile, there has been extensive flooding of the valley areas around the Souris River and along the Pembina River between Lorne Lake and La Riviere.

In the region around The Pas, the levels of the Saskatchewan River and the Lower Carrot River rose Sunday.