The Mighty Red

[Hemlock]

Stu McKay's resort,Cat's on the Red, is very close to flooding. Saw your picture in the WPG Free Press Stu...looks like the ice flows and massive amounts of water are right up to your deck. Hope you fare OK. Good luck to all with the mighty Red. We will be thinking of you in the next few days as the crest approaches.

[prov1900]

I concur. Stu, hang tough, the eyes of FM are on you. We are pulling for you and everyone up there.

[DTro]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Hemlock]

Yup, that's the pic that I saw in the newspaper. That is an amazing and scary photo.

[Ed Carlson]

The ice has been slow to move so far. Although the river levels have dropped a few feet since that photo, and they remain unseasonably high.

Of major concern is the real water has yet to arrive. It should start arriving at "Cats on the Red" this week.

Lets all hope the ice decides to move by then, and if not, the province of Manitoba decides to act and use measures to make it move. Measures such as 1 ton sand bad drops and salt spread on the jams from helicopters, even dynamite charges placed on the ice as required.

Luck favors the prepared, so I hope they get proactive now to protect the residents and business's along the Lower Red River of the North.

[prov1900]

Having been there, I for the life of me can't figure out how that ice is going to move, until the big lake clears up and allows that ice to move. Does that make sense? If that is the case, how do you get that much ice out of there?

[Ed Carlson]

The ice will float, disperse, and eat away on the lake ice rather quickly if allowed to flow.

Areas of concern to me is the old Selkirk bridge, it is far too low for the new system hydrodynamics. The amount of ice and water expected to move under it in the spring has grown far beyond it's original design. The new bridge to the North is made to allow full flow but the old one is a snag up.

I see the biggest battle for anyone between there and the St.Andrews Dam is getting the ice to move well through that bend and under the old bridge before the big water hits the flood way.

It may be weak enough now to pulverize itself under the weight and pressure of the ice and flow like a huge slurpie?

Lets hope it will.

[fishncamp]

The water is also moving quickly under the ice. I was on Lake Winnipeg in late March and had to move a mile or more from the mouth because of the dirty Red River water moving around under the ice.Here is a good link for our local flood updates:

http://www.cjob.com/News/Floodwatch.aspx

Ed....The open water is slowly moving into south Selkirk area today about a mile south of the old bridge.

[Ed Carlson]

Thanks for update and the link Fishcamp.

Lets hope this ice and water starts to flow more North then East or West.

This link looks preaty handy too.

River levels at Lockport MB Ca.

[Ed Carlson]

Stu and crew, how is the river behaving up your way?

Has the ice jams started to cooperate with the flow yet?

[fishncamp]

Here are a few pics taken a few days ago. There are stll problems with ice dams north of Selkirk.

Selkirk bridge looking east...note the ice on the road.

Ice Dams looking north from the float plane base

[fishncamp]

As the Red is cresting in Winnipeg today the river is over ten miles wide south of the city.....many lost their homes and cottages especially north of Selkirk at Breezy Point.It's not over yet.