REGINA – Some North Dakota farmers blame their flooded fields on a Manitoba road that prevents water from properly draining.
“It’s a lake,” said one American farmer referring to how his fields look. “It’s definitely that road.”
More than a dozen North Dakota counties have been declared disaster zones because of heavy spring floods. One area south of Letellier, Man., is flooded up to the Canadian border, but north of the line little water can be seen in fields. The road runs parallel to the border, a few feet on the Canadian side.
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Road acts as dike
North Dakota governor Ed Shafer, who toured and flew over the region, said the road acts as a dike, holding water south of the border.
“It’s very difficult to be up there and see thousands and thousands of acres flooded on the North Dakota side and see that there’s virtually no water on the Canadian side,” he said.
The road is allowed by the boundary waters treaty, which was signed at the beginning of the century. But by building it so high, Manitoba has created a dam, said Shafer.
He wants the Manitoba government to ensure that water flows north and is not held back by the road.
Shafer spoke to Manitoba premier Gary Filmon about the issue and Jim Eldridge, deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs, is working with North Dakota water officials, but no deal has been reached, Shafer said.
There have been complaints about the road causing floods since the 1950s at least, Shafer said, but little has been done to solve the problem because it only arises in flood years.
