State of emergency in Waterhen

Updated at 9:35 PM

By Lindsey Wiebe

A state of emergency has been declared in the community of Waterhen north of Dauphin, due to worrisome water levels on the Waterhen River.

The river has gone up more than a metre since Friday, but is believed to have stabilized about half a metre from the top of dikes set up this year, said provincial flood forecaster Alf Warkentin.

Still, Warkentin said the state of emergency is “a signal that there is significant concern.” The main problem is river jamming caused by frazil ice, the name given to slushy ice that forms over moving water.

Warkentin said the Waterhen River has not traditionally been an area to watch, but high levels on Lake Winnipegosis have made the river a cause for concern in recent years.

As of this morning, roughly six homes were surrounded by water, Warkentin said, but all were protected by dikes. A few homes were evacuated as a precaution.

Warkentin said the province had been preparing to send its Amphibex icebreaking machine to clear the riverway in Waterhen. But at the last minute, the machine had to be sent to the northern community of Norway House instead, to deal with a ferry frozen into the Nelson River.

“It’s kind of unusual,” said Warkentin, adding that the few previous times a ferry has frozen in the water, local staff have been able to break the ice and set it free.

“This year, for some reason or other, it got stuck in one spot and the ice formed around it, and now it can’t budge,” he said.

Manitoba Water Stewardship is also keeping an eye on the Fairford and Dauphin rivers, where frazil ice is likely forming and minor ice jams are expected to start.

Meanwhile, water levels on the Winnipeg River in the Whiteshell area are not expected to go up further, although boathouses and cottages in the area could be affected by ice. While it’s possible ice jams could occur on smaller streams in the area, flooding of buildings is unlikely.

In southern Manitoba, a thin ice advisory is in effect, meaning snowmobiles, skiers and hikers are warned to stay off rivers, lakes and streams.

lindsey.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

Winnipeg Free Press