Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 13, 2000, Winnipeg, Manitoba Aft special report Winnipeg free May 2000 which Way should the water go should future red River flooding be turned Back with a Mammoth 60kilometre Dike or should the water go deeper and faster through an expanded Winnipeg flood Way following Are the two proposals in Manitoban will have to decide which one is Best in the months have their first Chance to debate the Issue at a Public forum hosted by the International joint commission at 7 monday night May 15 at the hotel fort that followed by a May 16 meeting in the Border town of and a May 17 meeting in grand Bill Redekop Aubigny a proposed 60 Kilometre Dike across Southern Manitoba is Sim cheaper and affords Winnipeg More Protection than an expanded but try telling that to people who live on the wrong Side of the proposed Many of whom spent the last three years rebuilding their lives after the 1997 All their to the 1997 flood Levels plus two could be for that one Doest please me very Grain Farmer Harvey Dreger replied gruffly about the Agathe it sounds like were being sacrificed when they talk about that Dregers Homestead is surrounded by his own Dike that he had to raise in 1997 by hauling mud from a Highway the Large Earth Rampart makes his place look like a Small his Dike would protect him from an 1826size but what if government erects a six metre High Dike 10 Kilometres North of his place that would put him the Kos group engineers report estimates his water would be three above the natural level at 1826 in he would be four feet Over 1997 Levels because the natural water level would also be a foot even if he built his Dike the additional water on his Fields would mean his soil dry As How do you compensate a Farmer for taking away extra Days and perhaps weeks from the growing season it Means no to that a bad he it sucks another red River Valley who lives in a hollow surrounded by similarly massive is also terse on the subject of the Agathe it says the who would it give his he was flooded out in in not going any higher with the they can buy me Ken and Dorothy Slentz have just completed More than work on their Home that went under in 1997 and Arent interested in More flood Protection the wind blew the water Over our the wind is really what did most of us says its taken three Summers to they had their House raised and the garage raised see that Blank spot on the other Side of the Trees says pointing to where their Home used to but you dont drop a House onto a new foundation without some collateral and the broke the seals in the windows and left some cracks in the the Choice the province gave flood victims Here the Choice to either raise their dikes or raise their farm ers chose higher dikes because they have several farm buildings that need the retired Slentz chose to raise their if government decides to build the Agathe Dike and an 1826 flood be and they Arent interested in raising their House again or Liv ing behind a Large i you have to do maintenance on you have to make sure there seeded so they dont Dorothy there Are perhaps residences outside ring dikes in the red River its estimated it might Cost about Mil lion to raise All the personal and ring dikes in the Valley the whole Issue of deciding How to compensate those people is a says water resources spokesman Larry some people have said we dont have the right to flood them unless we pay them Whitney but How can you compensate peo ple in when properties could change owners several times before there is a flood like considered a onein300year event he son of flood Way what it is i the most Likely scenario is to deepen the flood Way by and Widen it by about 30 says the Kos group of i it would Cost the margin of error in that estimate is up to 25 per so it could Cost up to i the West Dike that runs South and West from Winnipeg would have to be raised As primary dikes in Winnipeg would have to be raised up to advantages i it would protect Winnipeg from a 1in500 year i enlarging the flood Way Channel would allow for control of red River water Levels to maximize recreational although that would Cost tens of millions of dollars i More water could be diverted Down the thereby lessening the risk of sewer backups during High one Large rainfall of More than an Inch of rain in six hours would have caused sewers to Back up in thousands of Winnipeg Homes during the flood of the Kos group study recommends Winnipeg improve its sewer and land drainage i about 60 Gas electrical Cross the and would have to be dug up and among those Are six Highway Bridges North and South of the the Tran Canada and the marys Road As seven railway Bridges would have to be i the groundwater for approximately Wells in the area would be and they would have to be deepened or re during construction of the original groundwater Levels fell up to 25 there was no i it would require land acquisition of 4590 homesteads and at a Cost of i primary dikes in Winnipeg would have to be raised up to pigs All the approaches of streets and sidewalks that run into primary primary dikes Are streets bordering the red such As Scotia Kildonan drive and Glenwood i the overburden in some parts of the flood Way Channel could complicate excava who benefits most i i most residents South of Agathe would Benefit because the expanded flood Way would be Able to move More water away who loses i people living just South of the West which runs from South Winnipeg to could see water Levels that because the West Dike would be raised by Many residents of Agathe blamed Rais of the West Dike in 1997 for the towns being the West Dike was and an Exten Sion added called the z the structures were hastily built and have since been taken Down because they were considered raising the West Dike is allowed under the flood ways operating i Selkirk residents and others living North of where the flood Way empties into the red River could be More vulnerable to ice in two out of every three ice jams Back up water North of the flood Way the expanded flood Way would increase flow to that and Worsen the effects of flooding due to ice it could result in backflow into Winnipeg All the Way to Bishop Grandin the Kos group recommends More study on ice i for Grande Pointe its a with the current Grande Pointe residents would see water Levels of 778 in an 1826 with the pro posed expanded Resi dents would see Levels of about 774 feet for an 1826 and778feetina1in500 year their dikes Are built to an average of 775 with the Agathe their water Levels would not exceed the 1997 level of about 773 the Cost Here is a breakdown of the estimated million costs i million for flood Way i million to improve sewer and land drainage in the City of i million to raise the primary dikes in like Scotia Street and Glenwood this May be eliminated if better control of ice jams can be or if flood Protection is lessened to a 1in300 year flood instead of 1in500 year flood i million to raise West Dike by six proposed flood Way Basin enlargement Width at top and Bottom increased by approximately 30 metres and depth increased by approximately the Agathe Dike what it is i it would be about six metres High and nearly 60 Kilometres it would be six to nine metres wide at and 61 metres wide at the i it would be built two Kilometres South of that where a Dike can provide maximum Protection because the red River nosedive about six feet Between Agathe and i the proposal was rejected in the Manitoba government chose to build the that because without the the Dike would have had to be used once every six causing additional flooding with the its estimated usage is once every 100 advantages i it costs about half As much As enlarging the flood Way the Cost is estimated at compensatory costs for the extra flooding South of Agathe has not been i it would offer Agathe and Selkirk the most it protects Winnipeg from a or cubic feet per the 1997 flood was cubic feet per the 1826flood was i it would serve As an emergency backup in Case the flood Way Gates if that the dams Gates could be closed until the flood Way Gates could be i it would be operated Only when floodwaters exceed 1997 or once every 100 in disadvantages i though toe dikes Gate would be closed Only once every 100 the very existence of the Mammoth Dike would raise water Levels engineers maintain Trey unnatural Levels upstream when the control Gate was1 not in that could the done by building several More Gates along the i while the dices Gate Structure would be used Only once in every 100 when it is used it would cause unnatural water Levels to the in an 1826 it would raise water Levels at Aubigny two feet above and 18 inches at ring dikes can be raised to protect but an estimated people live outside the ring dikes in the affected i it would require about million in land the same As the flood Way expansion who benefits i it would provide the most Protection for the City would virtually never have to worry flooded even if the flood Way i residents outlet All the Way to Selkirk see the threat of flooding due Triipe jams there would not be a to treat because the Dike would hold Back i residents Between Winnipeg and who have built dikes and raised Homes to 1997 flood plus would not have to worry about being flooded i the 27 residences on marys Road that now Are facing a voluntary buyout by government would not have to move if the Dike is their water Levels would not increase above 1997 who loses i people living on the South Side of the Dike would receive More in the 1826 the largest water at Aubigny would increase three and 18 due to the Agathe there would no increase at Letellier or i it could cause unnatural water Levels South of the depending on the extent of but that for an estimated the Cost i million to build the i million to pay for projected future damage from water the engineers report a present value on average annual damages i million to improve sewer and land drainage in City of enlarged depth enlarged of Width current top Width enlarged Bottom Width current depth current Bottom Width ;