WINNIPEG – Anxious residents in southern Manitoba are being told to get ready for some intentional flooding first thing Saturday morning.
The Manitoba government plans to cut through a dike and release water from the swollen Assiniboine River once the sun rises, barring any sudden emergencies.
Infrastructure Minister Steve Ashton says deliberate flooding southeast of Portage la Prairie will be gradual, with the water spreading slowly across a wide area.
Ashton says the move, which might affect more than 150 properties, is needed to prevent a larger uncontrolled flood that could affect hundreds more people.
The Assiniboine River is at record-high levels in western and central Manitoba, which has forced 1,300 people from their homes in Brandon.
Crews have built up dikes there to keep the river from swamping low-lying areas of the city.
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