PORTAGE – His fields are wet, the roads into them a slick muddy mess, and Thursday morning, Mark Peters’ land northwest of Portage la Prairie was hit with another round of rain.
“I just want this year to be over,” said Peters.
But the forecast says a lot more water is headed his way.
Manitoba’s flood forecasters said Wednesday that the Assiniboine and Souris rivers in the southwest got between 280 to 300 per cent more precipitation than normal from Aug. 19 to Sept. 1.
READ MORE: Rainfall warning issued as Manitoba placed on flood watch again
That means levels on the Assiniboine closer to Portage and Winnipeg will also rise.
While the province said it wants to avoid using the Portage Diversion if possible, Peters said the fact the flood control structure is even entering conversations in September is a shock.
The farmer’s home sits next to the diversion, where a controlled breach earlier this year flooded hundreds of acres of land.
The Portage Diversion takes water from the Assiniboine River north to Lake Manitoba when the river is in flood stage. It is just west of Portage la Prairie and protects that city and Winnipeg from flooding.
Peters has never seen it used this late in the year, he said.
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