Overland flooding occurs when water on the ground surface does not have sufficient time to flow into rivers and streams or be absorbed into the ground, potentially causing flooding of low-lying areas, roads and properties.
In the last half-century, the two most severe emergencies in Manitoba were floods. The Red River floods in 1950 and 1997 resulted in extensive property damage, evacuations, and emergency operations to protect people and communities. Overland flooding is a regular annual occurrence in most of our province. The potential for flooding depends on rainfall, snowpack, soil moisture and temperature.
The flat land, low elevation and clay subsoil make parts of the RM of St. Clements susceptible to overland flooding, particularly in the spring when the snow melts and/or rain falls while the ground is still frozen.
As a Municipality we are working diligently to ensure we reduce any chance of flooding that comes our way, however that still leaves many things that residents can do to help alleviate issues.
Did you know? Provincial roads, highways and drains are under the jurisdiction of Manitoba Highways? If you are having issues with any of the above, please contact Manitoba Highways directly at 204-346-6266 to advise them of any issues.
Flood Protection Measures
Provincial Floodway
The floodway gates raise and lower to control river levels.
Provincial spring flood outlook
The latest flood forecast information is released by the Province each day and can be viewed anytime on the Province’s Flood Outlook Information site.
Provincial Ice-Jam Mitigation Program
The ice-jam mitigation program was launched in 2006 by the Manitoba Government to reduce the risk of flooding caused by ice jams on the lower Red River and several other rivers. Ice jams form when floating ice is blocked from moving downstream, forcing water to backup and raise water levels on rivers.
Municipal Preparation
Both overland flooding and river flooding can occur in our Municipality and it can happen quickly. Some creeks may look small during summer months but come spring, they act as major drains for the water coming through our municipality from surrounding municipalities as the water makes its way into Lake Winnipeg.
We are continuously working to gather data, fix trouble spots and proactively complete long term planning to do our part to help prevent future flooding.
- Drainage – We regularly monitor ditches in the spring, particularly the known problem areas but conditions can vary from year to year and blockages can pop up anywhere. As the snow melts, we appreciate hearing from residents about any problem areas so that we can assess the situation and clear it strategically. Based on drainage data gathered in 2016-17 by surveying areas with overland flooding issues, five problem areas emerged: Gunns Creek, Bunns Creek, Ashfield, Grand Marais and Devils Creek. In 2018, the RM started fixing trouble spots and continued to gather data. We are now developing a long term sustainable water management plan to prevent future overland flooding.
- Dyke construction – The ‘Peltz’ dyke on St. Peters Road was completed in 2015 and was an extremely important and necessary build to mitigate major annual flooding in this previously problematic area
- Flood preparation equipment – Over the last several years, our Council has made a commitment to upgrade our flooding equipment for the protection of our ratepayers
- In 2020, we applied for a grant for Flood Preparedness Funding, which we were approved for and dedicated it towards emergency preparedness. Some equipment purchased included; a 4 inch trailer diesel pump, a new culvert steamer and GPS equipment for flood water readings
- Communications – We are constantly evolving by using different methods of communication to reach our residents. Facebook, Twitter, our website and monthly newsletters are all sources that we communicate on regularly. Most importantly for emergencies and important updates we have a program called St. Clements Connect – where you can sign up to receive these notifications directly to your phone via text or phone call or email.
- Partnerships – We are constantly looking to build stronger relationships with our neighbouring municipalities and government bodies such as Manitoba Infrastructure to ensure provincial drains are flowing at thaw and that culverts on Provincial Highways are working efficiently to reduce overland flooding
- Planning – We are committed to bettering our knowledge and understanding when it comes to an emergency.
Emergency Volunteer Opportunities
We are reaching out to gather interest from our community for emergency volunteers. Every person matters and we have high hopes that with the current Public Health Orders beginning to ease, we can once again begin to plan training programs with our volunteers and build a strong team.
We know that our community is filled with compassionate people that would love to lend a helping hand during an emergency. If this sounds like you and you’d like to learn more, please reach out to:
Flood Protection at Home
If you live in a flood-prone area, the best way to minimize damage is to mitigate the risk. Remembering that you have primary responsibility for emergency preparedness, consider what you can do to reduce damages and protect your home and property. You should also be making plans to evacuate your home and family if a severe flood develops. While municipal and provincial assistance will be available in such cases, planning ahead is valuable and necessary. We all need to do what we can to make sure our homes, families and communities are prepared in case of any future flooding. See our FAQs below for flood preparation information.
Flooding FAQs
Reducing the Risk of Flood Damage FAQs
- Monitor the spring melt.
- The RM prepares the ditches for spring by removing some snow from ditch to assist drainage
- If ditches are not draining water; call the RM office at 204-482-3300
- Staff will log your concern in a tracking system and notify public works
- Culverts may be frozen and the RM will initiate efforts to improve the situation as soon as possible
- If the fields and land around your home have significant or threatening water accumulations notify the RM office
- It may be a result of natural or spring weather conditions and not manageable by the RM
- Municipal drains may need to be cleared and the municipality will schedule that on a priority basis
- If you need sand bags to protect your home from overland flooding
- Call the RM office and arrange to pick up sandbags
- The RM is not responsible for individual property protection, does not deliver sandbags and will not provide staff to install them
- Protect all openings, holding tanks, drinking water supply and septic fields that may be at risk
- Based on flooding experience consider installing permanent protection measures
- This may include dikes, berms, swales, landscaping
- Make updates to your family emergency plan
- Redirect water away from your home try to ensure the ground slopes away from your house on all sides
- Seal any gaps or potential spaces around basement windows and other ground level entries to the structure
- Install the drainage for downspouts a sufficient distance from your home and outbuildings to ensure that water moves away from the building
- Consider installing a sump pump and back up prevention valves in all basement drains
- Do not store your important documents in the basement. Keep them at a higher level to protect them from flood damage
- Where possible and practical, clear grass clippings and debris from ditches and culverts
- If your property is at risk of overland flooding or has ever been flooded check your insurance coverage for ‘overland flooding’. Don’t rely on government programs such as Disaster Financial Assistance to cover your losses
- If you have a walkout basement, a well or a septic/holding tank, a septic field or other risk areas prepare the areas for potential sandbagging or other flood protection measures. Consider taking steps to permanently protect these areas
General Flooding FAQs
If the floodwater looks like it might breach your home or buildings, call the RM office and provide details of your situation. Our first priority is public safety, followed by protecting homes, then buildings, property and roadways. We will assess your situation and determine a course of action.
A large amount of water on the land or in the ditch that is not threatening any buildings is not necessarily a concern but we will assess it to be sure.
- Public Works goes out and ensures there is no immediate danger to the resident’s home.
- After this the municipality sets up a meeting with the resident to see where they believe the issue is and how they would want it fixed.
- Once PW knows the scope of work they survey the ditch and area to make sure water can drain properly.
- Surveying shows the current conditions are and how to improve the drainage.
- A survey indicates how much cut or fill is needed which determines cost and time. Cut is the amount of material that needs to be removed and fill is the amount of material that needs to be placed. Usually only cuts are required in drainage.
- A cost is put together and PW, council, or the drainage committee sets a priority of the job and whether it is feasible to do.
- If the municipality decides to go ahead with the work then they have to apply for a drainage license through Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship which takes about 2 weeks.
- If contractor is doing the work, the municipality needs to get three quotes to do the work and meet with contractors on site.
- Once a contractor or the RM is ready to do the work we have to get Utility Locates (MTS, Hydro, Shaw, Gas etc…) This can take several weeks to get. After the area has been marked we can now complete the project.
The RM’s priorities, in order of importance from most to least are: public safety, homes, other buildings, property, roadways.
- Review your family emergency plan and make sure that you have an emergency evacuation kit ready
- Know the notification/warning systems the Municipality uses – we continue to post on: our website, our social media, like Facebook and Twitter, as well as our St Clements Connect program which allows you to sign up for notifications by calls, texts or emails
- Follow instructions from local emergency officials
- If you have a home that was affected by recent rainwater and/or received seepage or water in the basement, familiarize with the low lying areas of the property and try to address these issues
- Take special precautions to safeguard electrical, natural gas or propane heating equipment. This may include turning off electricity to the affected areas of the structure or the entire structure depending on the degree of risk
- Protect all openings, holding tanks, drinking water supply and septic fields that may be at risk
- Move furniture, electrical appliances and other important belongings to floors above ground level. Quite often water gets into the basements or crawl spaces so ensure that there is nothing of value on the ground.
- Remove toxic substances such as pesticides from the flood area to prevent pollution
- Use sandbags or polyethylene barriers if necessary
- Contact your insurer as soon as practical under the circumstances
- Check to make sure your eavestroughs are not clogged with leaves or debris and that down spouts are placed appropriately
- Make sure your basement windows are sealed
Call the RM office at 204-482-3300 and we will look into it.
Certain areas of the RM have chronic drainage problems that we are working on fixing. We completed a drainage study of the problem areas and are looking at a long sustainable plan for drainage management. We can now plan how best to fix this problem. We are looking at improving lateral drains, increasing the size of certain culverts, and retention ponds.
Clean ditches of snow to ensure water flow, monitor for culvert blockages to clear them, monitoring dykes and the possibility of ice jams on the Red River.
No, we don’t have pumps that we lend out.
Septic System Flooding FAQs
Overland flooding can make holding tanks or septic tanks float up, out of the ground, if they are buried in a shallow hole and don’t have weights or security measures to hold them in place. Flood water can get inside the tank through a leaky riser or loose cover. If flood water gets into your holding tank or septic tank, it can damage the system or even shut it down.
Sewage waste water (effluent) will generally not leak out of a septic field that is covered with flood water. Hydraulic pressure from the flood water and the septic field will maintain a balance so sewage will not leak out, unless your septic field is already leaking. Waves or floating debris can cause damage to the septic field that can end up causing leaks.
- Examine the holding and/or septic tank (tank) to make sure the riser is above grade and the tank lid is watertight.
- If the tank is not buried deep, make sure it’s secure and properly anchored down.
- Make sure pumps and alarms are in good working order.
- Make sure the septic field is in good working condition and repair any leaks.
- Remove any debris that may float and cause damage to the field.
- Reduce the amount of waste water going into the septic system.
- Do not pump the tank empty because it makes the tank buoyant and it’s more likely to float.
- Don’t use using the plumbing system if the septic tank and field have been flooded.
- Hire a registered sewage hauler to pump out the tank if it has taken on flood water.
- Don’t touch any of the wiring or electrical parts of the system.
- If the tank has been damaged, hire a certified installer to assess the system and to do the necessary repairs.
- Don’t touch sewage from overflowing tanks or malfunctioning septic fields. Raw sewage contains micro-organisms that can cause disease.
- If unexpected flooding occurred in a cottage area, write down the addresses of the affected cottages and notify the property owners so they can assess and repair the damage.
Ditches Flooding FAQs
Call the RM at 204-482-3300 and let us know. The RM will come and assess it.
Yes, please call the RM at 204-482-3300 and let us know. We do monitor the ditches, particularly the known problem areas but conditions can vary from year to year and blockages can pop up anywhere. We will evaluate the problem and try to get to the root of it and fix it. We don’t have the resources to clear every drain so we assess the situation and clear it strategically.
Usually, the height of the water will be noticeably different on each side of the culvert. If the water is the same height on both sides, it is likely not frozen and the block is further downstream. We find the block(s) and thaw it/ them. Sometimes the volume of water is so high that the water can’t flow away fast enough. In that case, the flow will improve when the water volume goes down.
The RM has 3 steam machines that will thaw out frozen culverts. For culverts blocked with snow, the RM will use a machine to dig them out. The RM doesn’t clean out culverts unless they are frozen.
Every spring public works cleans main ditches/drains with either a bull dozer with V plow or with an excavator. The priority is to clean out ditches that can cause flooding problems, like main drains or streets that have common flooding issues including the tendency to flood yards and threaten homes.
The window for opening ditches can be very small as it all depends on the volume of snow and the weather forecast. The more snow there is, the more drains we will open. If snow is cleared out too early, there is a risk they will blow in and have to be done again. If snow is cleared out too late, the water doesn’t flow well. Cleaning ditches helps improve flow for fast-melting snow and also helps the culvert melt out and clear for better water flow.
Sandbags Flooding FAQs
Yes, the RM of St. Clements provides sandbags available for you at no charge. Quantities are limited. You must arrange for pickup and the RM does not help with loading. Call the RM office in advance at 204-482-3300 if you would like to arrange to pick some up.
No, you must find help from friends, neighbours, relatives or hire someone.
No. You must arrange with the RM office to pick them up.
If the sandbag has not come into contact with any contaminated material (e.g., sewage, animal waste), you can reuse the sand or sandbags. Please note: Bags are filled with a sand/salt mix so do not use them on your garden after the flood season is over, or it will kill your plants!
Sand can be dumped where necessary or take them to Libau landfill.
