$1B needed to prepare Manitoba for future floods: report

WINNIPEG — A report says Manitoba must spend $1 billion to beef up flood protection or risk billions in damage down the road.

The study, commissioned by the province, says flood protection along the Assiniboine River between Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg is particularly weak.

It says the Portage diversion — a channel that diverts water from the river to Lake Manitoba — needs $373 million in upgrades alone.

The diversion has been pushed over capacity in recent years due to record floodwaters.

RELATED: Western Manitoba RMs, Brandon declare states of emergency

The report says the province also has to work on emergency preparedness, including the potential need for mass evacuations and co-ordinated emergency response to dike breaches.

In 2014, Manitoba had to declare a state of emergency and call on the military for sandbagging help when floodwater poured in from Saskatchewan.

The province was also battered by one of the worst floods in its history in 2011. Army reservists ended up scrambling to help shore up weakened dikes and sandbag homes along the Assiniboine river.

READ MORE: Manitoba flooding: How the 2014 flood compares to 2011

“The flood of 2011 highlighted several potential weak links in the existing flood-control systems. The shortcomings of the system were emphasized again in 2014,” says the study.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The flood of 2011 highlighted several potential weak links in the existing flood-control systems. The shortcomings of the system were emphasized again in 2014," says the study.

“This escalating trend of flood damages in southwestern Manitoba indicated the need for refocusing on the possible expansion of the flood-protection system that has served the province so well in the past.”