Floodwaters Threaten Town of Minnedosa

As residents sandbagged the main streets of the town and the schools went to remote learning as water levels rose around them, we talked to MLA for Riding Mountain Greg Nesbitt and Town of Minnedosa CAO Jim Doppler about the rising floodwaters in the Minnedosa area.

Nesbitt was in town to assess the flooding and ensure that the province was aware of the extent of the problem and was doing everything they could to address the situation. He seemed hopeful when we spoke to him that the water had already crested but that wouldn’t come for another few days as water levels continued to rise through the following week. He also visited other areas of the municipality and indicated that Minnedosa was by far the worst he’d seen, and gave credit to the many volunteers who were working hard to keep the properties protected.

Doppler compared this flood to the flood in 2020, indicating that the situation is different this time. 2020’s flood was triggered by sustained, heavy rainfall but right now they are being inundated by upstream flow from the Little Saskatchewan River. However, the volume of rain over the past couple of weeks, with more on the way, has exacerbated the situation.

The province is proposing to release some of the pressure on the dam at Minnedosa to improve water flow and ensure the structure integrity of the dam, but each log they remove from the dam means an approximate three-inch rise in the water already covering portions of the town.

Minnedosa’s bison park was also facing increasing flooding and decreasing amounts of dry land for the animals, but the owner of the herd was contacted and indicated that what remained was sufficient for the time being and reminded the public that the bison did not need rescuing and they should avoid putting themselves in danger by entering the enclosure.

Three days after we spoke to the representatives, the Town of Minnedosa declared a state of emergency. An additional 2,000 super sandbags and 40,000 sandbags were delivered to the community to be filled, delivered, and placed by the over 1,000 volunteers who rotated through the public works volunteer station.

Over the first part of May, 41 states of local emergency were declared across southern Manitoba. The Little Saskatchewan River crested at Minnedosa on or around the 17th of May and water levels have begun to recede. The town and the province are now looking into measures to prevent a recurrence of this year's situation.