Farmland in Manitoba’s Assiniboine River Valley will likely be spared severe flooding this spring because the river is cresting below dike levels between St. Lazare and Brandon.
Stan Cochrane, who farms near Griswold, Man., had expected the Assiniboine to crest by his farm on the May long weekend.
“We have some (land) that’s diked and the dikes are still holding, so far,” he said.
“I think the river has crested in Virden and Miniota. So as long as we don’t get rain, the flows are going down fairly quickly right now.”
Read Also
Research focuses on drought tolerant alfalfa
Exotic alfalfa varieties that produce white, blue, cream and yellow flowers are being looked at by plant breeders to improve the crop’s drought tolerance.
Record snowfalls in eastern Sask-atchewan this winter meant there was a chance that Manitoba would see a repeat of 2011, when flood water covered 40,000 to 50,000 acres of land in the Assiniboine River Valley between the Shellmouth Dam and Brandon.
Fortunately, water flow from Sask-atchewan into the Shellmouth Reservoir dropped significantly last week.
According to daily flood reports posted by the Manitoba government, flows into the reservoir dropped from 10,000 cubic feet per second May 9 to 6,300 cfs May 16.
However, a flood warning remained in effect as of May 16 for the river between Miniota and Brandon.
Cochrane said the dissipating flood risk means he will likely seed a crop this year.
“If we don’t get any rain, we should be able to get quite a bit of it seeded.”
Valley farmers lost thousands of acres of crop and pastureland during severe flooding in 2010, 2011 and 2012. For example, Cochrane had 1,500 acres of land under water last year.
The Assiniboine Valley Producers Association wants the province to modify its management of the Shellmouth Reservoir to provide long-term flood security for the valley.
The association hired Alf Warkentin, who served as Manitoba’s senior flood forecaster for decades before retiring in 2010, to prepare a report on the Shellmouth Reservoir.
After evaluating the historical record, Warkentin found that excess water is a problem more frequently than a shortage. Therefore, the reservoir, which is located near Russell, Man., should be managed accordingly.
Farmers want the province to build a gate on the reservoir’s spillway to increase its capacity and reduce the risk of spring flooding.
The producers association submitted Warkentin’s report to the provincial government in April. The province hasn’t responded, except to say it received the report.
