• Introduction
• The Design
• The Implementation
• Future Development and Concerns I
• Future Development and Concerns II
• References

Red River Floodway

The Implementation

Following the flood of 1950, it was evident that measures needed to be taken to protect Winnipeg from further damage and destruction. Two types of flood control works were considered. The first, flood prevention works, include reservoirs, detention basins, and diversions. The second, flood protection works, include dykes and river channel improvements. A combination of both was developed to protect Winnipeg from flooding, through the construction of the Shellmouth Dam, the Portage Diversion, and the Floodway, as well as an extensive dike program (Department of Resources and Development Engineering, 1953). The development was widely criticized and opposed for such factors as its cost and location, but was determined that for every $1.00 spent on the project, $2.73 in potential flood losses, and with the memory of the 1950 flood still fresh in people's minds, the project went through as planned.

Construction was difficult, due to both soil conditions (Winnipeg gumbo) and the massive infrastructure involved in the Floodway project. The Floodway required the construction of seven railway bridges, five highway bridges, gas and oil lines, an aqueduct, and six hydro transmission lines (Manitoba Water and Conservation Branch, 1963). These were either constructed before the excavation began or temporary lines installed so that service to Winnipeg would not be disrupted. Built between 1962 and 1968, the project cost approximately $63 million, and has to date saved Winnipeg from flood damage eighteen times.