Manitoba 2022 spring flooding generated nearly $200M in costs: province

Manitoba’s spring 2022 flooding left the province with nearly $200 million in costs.

On Friday, the province said it is continuing to restore and repair the damaged infrastructure from the flooding of 2022 – a year that saw record-breaking numbers when it comes to precipitation.

According to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk, more than $9 million in pre-emptive and response work has already been completed. This includes $6.4 million for 16 projects in the Parkland region.

The minister added that $45 million in capital infrastructure work has been tendered, and several consulting assignments have been awarded for culvert inspections, as well as structure stabilization and replacement.

“Critical investment in infrastructure protection will ensure our province is safeguarded from the potential damage of future weather events,” Piwniuk said in a news release.

“Protecting Manitoba’s infrastructure is part of our government’s mitigation strategy and we are committed to further advancing preparedness solutions to enable communities and all Manitobans to continue to thrive even after experiencing significant weather events.”

The Manitoba government estimates that last year’s flooding resulted in $193.5 million in costs, including $182 million in recovery work that will be completed in the next three years.

Some of the key projects include $3.5 million for structure rehabilitation of Provincial Trunk Highway 10’s Bell River Bridge; $3.5 million for the structure replacement of Boundary Creek culverts through Prospect Road in Winnipeg Beach; $2.4 million for structure replacement of the Silver Harbour Bridge in the RM of Gimli; and $3.5 million for structure replacement of the Mary Jane Dam in the RM of Pembina.

Earlier this week, the province released its March spring flood outlook, which shows a major risk of flooding on the Red River, but low to moderate risk in most other basins.