Ice-Breaking on Red River Underway to Reduce Flood Risk

By Elmer Heinrichs

The province of Manitoba started to cut and break ice on the Red River last week to reduce potential ice-jam floods, said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk.

Ice-cutting units and three Amphibrex icebreakers were out cutting and breaking about 28 km of ice on the Red from Selkirk to Netley Marsh.

The province will also break ice on the Icelandic River at Riverton beginning in mid-to-late March.

The program is meant to reduce ice-jams, which occur when floating ice is blocked from floating downstream, forcing water to flow over banks.

The province said it has posted notices in areas where machines will work. It advised ice fishers and others to stay off the rivers where the notices are posted, or where the machines have recently worked.