Please contact rachelle@riverbank.mb.ca or by phone 729-2129 if you are interested in participating.

• The river elevation is at 1178.448’ (359.19m) which is down 2.76” (7 cm) from yesterday.

• Phase 2 of the re-entry plan includes evacuated businesses south of the river.

o Businesses may have staff on site from 7am to 9pm today and Friday to prepare for re-opening on Saturday May 28th.

o All businesses will be permitted to resume regular hours of operation on Saturday May 28th.

o Members of Brandon Police Service, Health Inspectors and Manitoba Hydro will be stopping by the businesses to assist with their re-entry.

• Phase 3 – re-entry by residents is anticipated to be completed by Sunday May 29th. Details regarding residential re-entry include:

o The first area for re-entry will be from the west side of 15th Street North to 26th Street North beginning at 8:00 am Saturday, May 28th.

o The second area for re-entry will be from east of 15th Street North to 4th Street North and will begin at 8:00 am on Sunday, May 29th.

o Check points will be established at the current security posts and other locations as required.

o Evacuees will be required to present identification showing their address.

o Re-entry teams will include personnel from Manitoba Hydro, Public Health and Police, Building Inspectors, Transit Drivers and Language Interpreters.

o During the re-entry process, the area will remain closed to non-residents.

o To ensure your property can be attended to by the re-entry team residents are asked that on the date specified for re-entry they be back in their homes by 2:00 p.m. wherever possible. Residents are asked to be patient in the event there are delays in servicing.

o Public Transit will be available after 10 a.m. as required. Requests can be directed to the Inquiry Centre at 729-2186.

• The Public Works Department will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. throughout the weekend to handle any calls regarding dirty water, etc. Normal practice should be followed for sewer back-ups which involves calling a private plumbing company.

• Hilton Lift Station continues to be a concern due to excessive soil erosion at man hole structures. We will continue to use enhanced pumping equipment to assist the control of flows at the Hilton Lift Station. It is anticipated that the enhanced pumping will continue for several months as the river level recedes.

• The City is constantly monitoring water quality at the Hilton lift station and continues to work with Manitoba Conservation to ensure coordination of our plans and operations.

• Aqua dams continue to be removed from the dikes to assist with relieving pressure on the dikes. Seepage control pumping continues as required. Pedestrians and cyclists are advised to remain away from the dike areas as they are construction zones and hazardous to the general public. No Trespassing.

Current Traffic Conditions

• 1st Street southbound from Kirkcaldy Drive to Pacific Avenue is now opened but is restricted to one lane and 30 km/hr and no semi-trucks or wide loads are permitted on this portion of 1st Street. 1st Street north bound from Kirkcaldy Drive to Pacific Avenue also remains open. The public is reminded that there is no pedestrian or bicycle traffic on 1st Street.
• Veteran’s Way is open to all traffic.

• PTH #110 is open to truck traffic only with vehicles being piloted. Changes at this location will commence on Friday, May 27, 2011 in order to begin the removal of the aqua dams.

• 18th Street is open to all traffic excluding wide loads. There is a 30 km/hr speed restriction in the area of the super bags.

Planned Traffic Restrictions

• Beginning Friday, May 27, 2011, at 6:00 p.m., Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation has announced the intended closure of PTH #110 between Victoria Avenue East and the Low Road (PR #457) for the purpose of removing the aqua dams. This closure is expected to last until Tuesday morning, May 31, 2011 depending upon the ability to remove all of the aqua dam material. As a result of this closure, 18th Street will be the primary truck route for traffic in and out of Brandon. The only restriction on 18th Street will be wide loads which will continue to be prohibited.

• Kirkcaldy Drive from Knowlton to 1st Street will be re-opened, however the area between Knowlton Drive and Patterson Crescent will remain closed.

For further emergency information, please contact the Enquiry Centre at 729-2186 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. today and Friday, and then from 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th, or visit www.brandon.ca. As well, residents are asked to watch or listen to local media for updated information.

• We are announcing Phase 2 of the re-entry plan involving evacuated businesses south of the river.

• Businesses may have staff on site from 7am to 9pm on Thursday and Friday to prepare for re-opening on Saturday May 28th.

• All businesses will be permitted to resume regular hours of operation on Saturday May 28th.

• Phase 3 – re-entry by residents is anticipated to be completed by Sunday May 29th. Details regarding residential re-entry are now being finalized for publication at a later time.

• Hilton Lift Station continues to be a concern because of the significant flows. We now have determined the source of the water from the river appears to be due to excessive soil erosion at man hole structures. We will continue to use enhanced pumping equipment to assist the control of flows at the Hilton Lift Station. It is anticipated that the enhanced pumping will continue for several months as the river level recedes. Discussions with Manitoba Conservation on our proposed plans for flow control are ongoing.

• Aqua dams continue to be removed from the dikes to assist with relieving pressure on the dikes. Seepage control pumping continues as required. Pedestrians and cyclists are advised to remain away from the dike areas as they are construction zones and hazardous to the general public. No Trespassing.

For further information, please contact:
Brian Kayes
Monique Carriere
Con Arvisais
at 729-2186 until 8:00 pm this evening.

• The river level this morning has been recorded at 1178.611 feet (359.261 metres) above sea level at the 1st Street Bridge. This is a further decrease of 4 inches (10 cm) from yesterday.

• Today there are 1415 registered evacuees, 585 families.

• The Sportsplex will resume normal operations on Monday May 30, 2011. Access to the Sportsplex will be from Braecrest Drive south on Knowlton Avenue.

• Flows at the Hilton pumping station still remain significantly higher than normal however additional temporary pumping capacity continues to function and maintain control of the high flows. At this time we are pumping approximately 18 million litres of water a day through this system. Normal flows are 5 million litres a day. We are currently inspecting some of the manholes associated with this system. As a means to help people understand the gravity of the situation we’d like to re-emphasize our concerns. The concern remains that without the additional pumping capacity currently in place there would be water in peoples’ basements. A worst case situation would be the failure of the Hilton Lift Station itself and water would rise to a level equal to the height of the river. The first point of entry for any water into the area would be through basements and then through the street manholes. We want to assure everyone that we have additional pumps and plans in place ready to go should any of this happen. Yesterday crews on the river were able to inspect the exposed manholes and we have discovered one that appears to be damaged that we are investigating further, but water levels and the fast moving current are hampering our ability to assess the amount of damage and to determine a solution.

• A meeting with the affected businesses in this area will be held Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 12:00 Noon in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The meeting will be open to business owners that have been evacuated only. The intent of the meeting is hear concerns regarding the continuation of the current evacuation.

Current Traffic Conditions

• 1st Street southbound from Kirkcaldy Drive to Pacific Avenue is now opened but is restricted to one lane and 30 kms/hr and no semi-trucks or wide loads are permitted on this portion of 1st Street. 1st Street north bound from Kirkcaldy Drive to Pacific Avenue also remains open. The public is reminded that there is no pedestrian or bicycle traffic on 1st Street.

• Veteran’s Way is open to all traffic.

• PTH #110 is open to truck traffic only with vehicles being piloted. Changes at this location will commence on Friday, May 27, 2011 in order to begin the removal of the aqua dams.

• 18th Street is open to all traffic excluding long combination semi-truck vehicles and wide loads. There is a 30km/hr speed restriction in the area of the super bags.

Planned Traffic Restrictions

• Beginning Friday, May 27, 2011, at 6:00 p.m., Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation has announced the intended closure of PTH #110 between Victoria Avenue East and the Low Road (PR #457) for the purpose of removing the aqua dams. This closure is expected to last until Tuesday morning, May 31, 2011 depending upon the ability to remove all of the aqua dam material. As a result of this closure, 18th Street will be the primary truck route traffic in and out of Brandon. The only restriction on 18th Street will be wide loads will continue to be prohibited.

For further emergency information, please contact the Enquiry Centre at 729-2186 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or visit www.brandon.ca. As well, residents are asked to watch or listen to local media for updated information.

• The river level this morning has been recorded at 1179.02 feet (359.64 metres) above sea level at the 1st Street Bridge. This is a decrease of 4 inches (10 cm) from yesterday.

• Flows at the Hilton pumping station still remain significantly higher than normal however additional temporary pumping capacity continues to function and maintain control of the high flows. At this time we are pumping approximately 18 million litres of water a day through this system. Normal flows are 5 million litres a day. We are currently inspecting some of the manholes associated with this system. As a means to help people understand the gravity of the situation we’d like to re-emphasize our concerns. The concern remains that without the additional pumping capacity currently in place there would be water in peoples’ basements. A worst case situation would be the failure of the Hilton Lift Station itself and water would rise to a level equal to the height of the river. The first point of entry for any water into the area would be through basements and then through the street manholes. We want to assure everyone that we have additional pumps and plans in place ready to go should any of this happen.

• The clean-up of the Aqua Dams and hay bales from the dikes will be resuming today. This work was delayed because of the wet weather.

• 1st Street southbound from Kirkcaldy Drive to Pacific Avenue is now opened but is restricted to one lane and 30 kms/hr and no semi-trucks or wide loads are permitted on this portion of 1st Street.

• Small vessels continue to be prohibited from navigating on the Assiniboine River within the Corporate Boundaries of the City of Brandon except small vessels being used by the City of Brandon and the Province of Manitoba for the purpose of flood control or emergency response.

• The mandatory precautionary evacuation order issued for the Green Spot and the adjacent residences was lifted as of noon yesterday (May 23, 2011).

• We have been advised by the management of The Green Spot that it will resume regular business this Thursday, May 26.

For further emergency information, please contact the Enquiry Centre at 729-2186 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or visit www.brandon.ca. As well, residents are asked to watch or listen to local media for updated information.

Flood Warning*:

The Assiniboine River at all points downstream of the Shellmouth Dam
Pipestone Creek, all reaches, Oak Lake and Plum Lakes, Plum Creek to the Souris River (including the Town of Souris)
The Qu`Appelle River in St-Lazare area

Flood Watch:

The Souris River

High Water Advisory

All major lakes in Manitoba

Summary

An unstable weather system is developing in North Dakota and Montana and parts of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This system may bring over 60 mm of precipitation in localized areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba over the weekend. The Brandon area is forecast to receive 30-50 mm of precipitation over the weekend, with high east winds gusting to 60 km/hr. The Miniota area may receive between 50-60 mm of rain over the weekend. This precipitation event will influence tributaries within the the Qu’Appelle and Souris River Basins, and southern Assiniboine River tributaries. Forecasters are assessing the impacts of this storm event on the recession of the Assiniboine River.

Environment Canada has issued a strong wind warning for both Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg. Winds on both lakes are forecast to be east up to 40 km/hr for tomorrow.

Assiniboine River flows into the Portage Reservoir have dropped around 2,000 cfs since yesterday to 49,550 cfs. Significant efforts by government and military personnel have reinforced the Assiniboine River dikes and a current condition assessment indicates that dikes are able to sustain flows at 18,000 cfs. Flows on the Assiniboine River upstream of Portage La Prairie will continue to drop over the next few days despite the forecasted rain event this weekend. Due to these reduced flows and reduced risk of an uncontrolled breach, the controlled release will be closed today.

Flows from the release impacted a total area of 3.42 square kilometres between the S. Ridge School Road and east towards the Elm River, pooling on both sides of mile road 62N. Once flows reached the Elm River, water travelled within the banks of the river and are predicted to contribute minimal rises to the La Salle River downstream.

The Fairford River Water Control Structure continues to be operated at full capacity due to the high level of Lake Manitoba. Outflows from Lake Manitoba on the Fairford River and further downstream on the Dauphin River reached record flows yesterday at 16,630 cfs and 15,430 cfs, respectfully.

Lakes

Maps illustrating forecasted peak lake levels and water levels that would occur with a sustained 60 km/hr wind are available online at www.gov.mb.ca/flooding/index.html. Wave uprush is not illustrated on the inundation maps due to the site-specific circumstances of each property.

During high winds, dikes and individual properties will be impacted by wave uprush to varying degrees. There are a number of factors that will change the way wind and the resulting wave action impacts properties and dikes, including: the direction of wind, the slope of the shore, the distance from the water, obstructions that may buffer waves (roads, vegetation, etc.), the slope and height of flood protection dikes, and the depth of standing water against the dike.

Waves will generally be higher and have more energy if the beach is shorter and has a greater slope. Waves will generally be lower and have less energy if homes are located far from the normal lake edge, have a gently sloping beach or the waves are travelling over flooded vegetation or other obstructions. Homes with a gently sloping beach could experience waves as high as 3 ft.

The impact of waves on dikes is dependent on the depth of standing water against the dike and the slope of the dike. With a sustained 60 km/hr offshore wind: o Sandbag dikes close to the water’s edge may experience waves as high as 3 ft.
Sandbag dikes with water reaching the base of dike may experience waves as high as 4 ft.
Sandbag dikes with water reaching part way up the dike are likely to experience waves as high as 7 ft.
Clay dikes are generally built with a gentler (5:1) slope when compared to the slope of sandbag dikes (1:2), dissipating the energy of the wave and reducing wave height.

Lake levels at Oak and Plum Lake are high and continue to contribute high flows to Plum Creek.

Due to high water levels, Manitoba Water Stewardship has created inundation maps illustrating the forecasted high water levels for all areas around Lake Manitoba, Lake St. Martin, and is developing maps for the south basin of Lake Winnipeg and for Dauphin Lake.

A High Water Advisory is in effect for all major lakes in Manitoba.

Assiniboine River

The Flood Warning for the Qu`Appelle River in the St-Lazare area remains in effect. Water levels on the Qu’Appelle River at Welby are 17.16 ft today, and are anticipated to increase with the forecasted rain event on the weekend.

Water levels on the Shellmouth Reservoir are 1413.51 ft, decreasing 0.19 ft since yesterday. Inflow into the Shellmouth Reservoir is 7,630 cfs, and outflow is 9,000 cfs today.

Water levels on the Assiniboine River at the 1st Street Bridge in Brandon are 1180.54 ft, decreasing 0.74 ft since yesterday. Flows at the 1st Street Bridge in Brandon are 28,700 cfs, measured this morning. It is estimated that the Assiniboine River water levels at Brandon 1st Street will be close to 1177 ft by the end of May, a decline of about 3 ft from the current level. The flows are being reassessed to include the forecasted rainfall in both Qu’Appelle River and upstream areas.

Inflow upstream of Portage la Prairie is 49,550 cfs. Flows in the Portage Diversion channel at noon today are at 31,130 cfs. Flows on the Assiniboine River at the Portage Reservoir control gates are 18,420 cfs and will be reduced to 18,000 cfs later today.

Due to reduced flows on the Assiniboine River and the reduced risk of an uncontrolled breach, the controlled release will be closed today.

Water levels in the Baie St. Paul area are 799.87 ft, a decrease of 0.01 ft since yesterday.

The Flood Warning for the Assiniboine River at all points downstream of the Shellmouth dam remains in effect.

• The river level this morning has been recorded at 1181.224 feet (360.037 meters) above sea level at the 1st Street Bridge which is equivalent to the 100 year flood elevation. This is a decrease of 6 inches (2.36 cm) from yesterday.

• United Way of Brandon & District is announcing today the launch of a first ever “Community Emergency Relief Program” to support people during the current community emergency. United Way phone number is 571-8929.

• We remain under a State of Local Emergency which conveys to the City of Brandon certain powers under The Emergency Measures Act. The City’s authority under the state of local emergency includes the power to “control, permit or prohibit travel to or from any area or on any road, street or highway.”

• In view of our re-entry criteria which are water levels, dike conditions, our collection system at Hilton, conditions at the Water Treatment Facility and the weather, we feel it is appropriate to begin a 3 phase re-entry process. The re-entry timeline is based on the recession data and curve prepared by Manitoba Water Stewardship. Please note that the water levels may change at any time and therefore, may affect this re-entry plan. We have developed a three phase program with Phase I being focused on the Corral Centre and the Paddock, as that is the area least at risk given that we are still at the 100 year flood elevation.

There is concern with expected increased traffic resulting from the opening of the commercial centre. Access to the Corral Centre will be from 18th Street and at the intersection of Kirkcaldy and Conservation Drives. Kirkcaldy Drive will remain closed between Knowlton Drive and Paterson Crescent. Therefore, we ask the motoring public when using 18th Street, to practise prudent driving skills and obey all traffic control devices. Blocking of an intersection is a violation under The Highway Traffic Act.

The following re-entry plan has been developed to assist those businesses in the Corral Centre and the Paddock in re-opening their premises in an orderly and controlled fashion.

Corral Centre/The Paddock

• Businesses will be able to access their properties starting at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 21, 2011 to get their businesses “customer ready” (i.e. re-stocking, clean-up, etc.)

• Businesses will be allowed to open to the public starting on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. The hours of operation are limited to 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Normal operating hours may resume on Monday, May 30, 2011.

• All commercial traffic servicing the Corral Centre and the Paddock must travel via Highway #1 and 18th Street North. Semi-tractor trailer vehicles are prohibited from using 18th Street south of Kirkcaldy Drive.

• Kirkcaldy Drive will remain closed until further notice.

• Phase II will involve the return of the businesses on 18th Street and Phase III will be the return of residents on the south side of the river. Details are still being worked out, based on our established criteria of river elevation, dike conditions, our collection system at Hilton, conditions at the Water Treatment Facility and the weather. We remind everyone that we are still at the 100 year flood elevation today and conditions can change quickly.

The Enquiry Centre will be reducing its operating hours to 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. starting tomorrow.

For further emergency information, please contact the Enquiry Centre at 729-2186 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or visit www.brandon.ca. As well, residents are asked to watch or listen to local media for updated information.

River levels continue to decline and are down 4” from this morning.

At a special meeting held at 11:00 am today, City Council agreed to apply for an extension to the current State of Local Emergency to June 4, 2011.

City Council agreed that outstanding penalties on 2011 Property Taxes for the period up to and including July 31, would be cancelled. While this allowance is mainly directed to property owners affected by the flood, it will be applied to all taxpayers. The due date for taxes remains at June 30, 2011.

The pump that was placed at the Hilton lift station continues to ease the pressure at that station and we are planning to locate a second pump there as a stand-by in the event it is required.

Work continues with CP Rail to strengthen the 17th Street East dike.

Canexus and city staff are working to remove the aqua dams on the south dike behind Co-op Feeds.

Residents are starting to enquire what they can do with their sandbags. Operations intends to set up a number of depots next week and the locations will be publicized. In the interim, residents on the north hill can take their sandbags to Conservation Drive for deposit with the ones already located there.

For more information, please contact the Enquiry Centre at 729-2186.

For further emergency information visit www.brandon.ca. As well, residents are asked to watch or listen to local media for updated information.

• This morning’s elevation reading at First Street is 1181.80 (360.214 metres) which represents a decline of 6 inches (15 cms) since yesterday.

• The City is staging the removal of its sandbags and equipment from private property onto public property.

• Yesterday we received recession curve data from Water Stewardship. This is a model that forecasts the rate at which the river recedes and considers average weather conditions. We are now using that data to develop our re-entry plan that will get businesses and residents back into the evacuated areas as soon as safely possible.

• The province will be re issuing evacuation allowances. Evacuees must report to the Reception Centre at the Keystone Centre. The process involves a confirmation of needs on Thursday, May 19 or Friday, May 20. Evacuees are asked to bring photo ID and their Emergency Services card Saturday will be when the cheques are available for pick up. The hours of the reception centre will be: Thursday 12-7; Friday 12-7; Saturday 9-4; Sunday 1-4 and Monday 1-4. . For those evacuees who have asked for their cheques to be mailed, with the potential postal strike, there is no guarantee when the cheque will arrive.

• For more information, please contact the Enquiry Centre at 729-2186.

For further emergency information, visit www.brandon.ca. As well, residents are asked to watch or listen to local media for updated information.