Flooding hits Lake Manitoba properties - again

Property owners along Lake Manitoba are once again surveying floodingdamageafter gusting winds pushed water inland on the weekend.

The wind was so strong, it shoved the water overtop thedikes put in to protect properties.

"We had expected additional water to come in with the wave set up and that has happened. We've had some pretty heavy northwest winds and it has inundated the back countries," said Earl Zotter,reeve of the Rural Municipality ofSt.Laurent, where many of the communities are located.

The road to Twin Lakes Beach, located on the lake's southeast shore,has beenclosed because of the high water, Zotter said.

'A lot of the places that were just hanging on are no longer hanging on.' Jim Stevenson

Jim Stevenson, who hasa property in Twin Lakes Beach, saidsome cottages look like they're sliding into the lake after the storm eroded the shore.

"A lot of the places that were just hanging on are no longer hanging on. There's a lot of damage down a couple miles past our place that obviously was just [new] because we've never seen this before," he said.

In Twin Lakes andnearby Sandpiper Beach, cottages are surrounded by water.

"It's eightinches deep, right to the skirting of the cottage," said Dale Crawford, whohas a cottage at Sandpiper.

"All the progress we've made in the last six weeks;right back where we were."

The year of flooding

Flooding has plagued the area for much of the year.

In May, some 700 residences in the RM of St. Laurent were evacuated after wind-whipped waves violently crashed into the shore, tearing open some structures.

Five families had to be rescued by RCMP in Zodiac boats because the roads were swallowed by rushing water. Others were rescued by helicopter.

Then astorm in June damaged numerous properties in Twin Lakes, Laurentian Beach, Delta Beach, and Sandpiper Beach. The water was chest-deep in places several metres from the shoreline and a number of homes were torn open from the raging waves.

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Lake Manitoba has been at a record-high level for most of the year, leaving it extremely vulnerable to any strong winds.

The lake levels were initially raised due to floodfighting measures along the Assiniboine Riverin the spring. Excessive water from the river waschanneled through the Portage Diversion for months.

The 29-kilometre long channel takes the water from an entry point just west of Portage la Prairie and empties it into Lake Manitoba.

Diverting the Assiniboine helps minimize flooding where the Assiniboine joins the Red River downstream in Winnipeg but it has created a perilous situation on the lake.

Chronic rainstorms in the early part of the summercontinues to play havoc with thelevels.

Zotter saidhe's lost count of how many times the road to Twin Lakes has been covered by water.

"Almost every time the wind blew, we'd lose the road. So right now our coordinator is down there taking a look at it," he said.

"We're probably going to have to bring in some material to re-establish the road again."