On November 14, MLA Ron Schuler, Minister of Infrastructure, toured the ring dike around Niverville and took the opportunity to announce the addition of an important structure to the town’s current flood control infrastructure. Also in attendance for the announcement were Niverville’s deputy mayor John Funk and a number of provincial employees.
Just days earlier, Water Management and Structures Manitoba had completed the installation of a ramp and platform which will provide safer access to a series of culvert gates at the corner of Stott and Sood Roads.
“The last time I was [on this site] was this spring and it was identified by the RM that there was an issue,” Schuler said.
The concern, he says, was for the safety of provincial or town employees who, in previous years, have been required to wade through high levels of fast-moving water to close the flood gates.
Following the flood of 1997, Niverville constructed a ring dike to prevent the flow of overland flooding from the Red River from entering the community. Flood gates were later installed at the northwest corner of the dike. While these culvert gates remain open during the bulk of the year, allowing regular runoff to drain away from town and back towards the river, when closed they keep water out.
With the new ramp and platform, staff will now be able to gain access to the gates from above the water level, meaning they won’t need to wade through three or four feet of fast-moving water and ice any longer to do so.
“The point behind all of this is that our government is getting ready again for next spring, as we should,” Schuler said. “Over the years, us and others before us spent billions of dollars… on infrastructure to protect us as Manitobans… Keep in mind that our government’s looking into spending over $500 million for [flood mitigation] channels for Lake Manitoba. Those tend to be the big, sexy projects… but almost just as important is a small project like this.”
The platform and access ramp came at a cost of $3,500 and comply with all safety standards.
The Department of Natural Resources monitors water levels and snow levels throughout the year to help them make hydrological forecasts so they can predict flooding concerns in advance.
“My crew, during this past flood event, was on a 24-hour schedule,” says a representative of Water Management and Structures. “This area was part of the tour that they would do on an hourly basis to watch and monitor the water levels and the direction of the water… and they are at the ready to close these [gates] and bring in standby pumps if we need to.”
As Minister of Infrastructure, Schuler oversees their work from a governmental perspective.
“As a minister who travels the province, I get to see the men and women who work for us and their passion,” Schuler says. “These guys here are making sure that you’re safe and dry.”