The following is a response from Doug McNeil, deputy minister of Infrastructure and Transportation: (note that his commentary and answers follow Jack King’s comments/questions)
I am preparing for our Annual General Meeting on July 14th. I want to be as fair and factual as possible. Any comment or clarification on the following would be appreciated:
- The current Lake level is 813.3 feet asl – Actually 813.0 ft ASL, wind eliminated as of July 8th, 2013.
- the Portage Diversion is open with flows of approximately 8000 cfs – 4,200 cfs as of July 8th.
- the Red River floodway is closed – Yes
- a northern channel from Lake Manitoba is being studied for completion in 2021 – Yes but depends on length of time to achieve Federal Environmental Approvals and to complete Consultations
- the site of the channel is under review – Yes
Questions:
- how many days has the Diversion been open in 2013? 63 days so far: April 29th @ 11pm to June 17th and June 26th to today; with normal weather, it is expected that the operation will end July 15th to 18th.
- what is the reason for re-opening the Diversion? To limit the flows on the Assiniboine River to 8,000 cfs to prevent back flooding of agricultural land from high river levels.
- what does the government deem to be a safe lake level? 814.0 ft ASL
