A water-logged ditch and culverts on Highway 16 just west of Westbourne, Manitoba on Sunday, April 2, 2017. (CHRISD.CA FILE)
Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler appears at a flood mitigation news conference at The Forks on Thursday, October 12, 2017. (GOVERNMENT OF MANITOBA)
WINNIPEG — Improved flood mapping will give forecasters in Manitoba a better sense of a potential threat when water levels rise each spring.
The federal government is investing $794,520 to add vital flood information to Manitoba’s flood mapping inventory in three of its priority watersheds in the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba.
“Identifying the height and extent of a potential flood event is critical to support informed decisions and investments to reduce the impacts of flooding on communities,” said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler.
“Manitoba is one of the best-prepared provinces to respond to flooding and mitigate damages.”
The three priority areas identified are the lower Assiniboine River, from Portage la Prairie to the west Perimeter Highway, the Whitemud River and the Souris River.
Manitoba will use Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing technology to produce these new flood-risk maps. LiDAR uses laser technology to collect accurate, continuous elevation data, known as topographic data, over relatively large areas.
About 67 percent of southern Manitoba will be mapped by 2018 when an additional 29,185 square kilometres is collected and added to the elevation library.
