'We have to be prepared': plans to fight spring flood underway in Winnipeg and Fargo

With the rising temperatures starting to melt the snow, plans are underway in the City of Winnipeg and south of the border to prepare for any potential spring flooding.

Last week's winter wallop brought between 15 and 38 centimetres of snow to North Dakota – now that is all starting to melt and the water is starting to rise.

"It could be a pretty good-sized flood – one of the top 10 – or it could be a flood that kind of comes and does not quite get to the height we'd like it not to get," Tim Mahoney, the mayor for the City of Fargo, said Monday afternoon. "We have to be prepared."

The National Weather Service in the United States says that flooding is expected to impact the southern part of the state more than the north.

''We are looking at river rises starting here later this week with that runoff,” Meteorologist Amanda Lee said. “We did start issuing some seven-day forecasts for the southern part of that basin.”

Flooding is expected to start later this week or into the weekend. The City is expecting that to worsen in the weeks following. 

This year, the City of Fargo, Cass County and West Fargo are preparing for a 38-foot crest on the Red River – requiring more than a kilometre of trap bags and around 200,000.

Mahoney said work is now underway to fill sandbags to prepare for the spring flooding.

"We can hope and pray that we have just a nice soft spring and it is just wonderful when we barely get any flooding, but bear in mind that we are going to have a flood fight, just might not be as high as earlier as predicted, but we always have to be prepared," he said.

The National Weather Service says areas like Grand Forks could see some flooding, along with Emerson in Manitoba, but doesn’t it expect it to be as significant as Fargo.

Lee says some rural roads might wash out and bridges in Fargo might close.

In Winnipeg, preparations for a possible spring flood are already under way.

Civil engineer Jay Doering with the University of Manitoba is expecting minimal flood issues in the city.

"I mean we'd need a lot more precipitation, we'd need a much faster melt," he said. "I'm not anticipating a problem for us. Being the dynamics this year, the snow pack is normal." 

As of Monday, there are no Winnipeg properties at risk of flooding. However, with the start of the spring melt, the city recommends residents take certain precautions, including checking their backwater valve and sump pump; making sure water is draining properly; protecting their belongings; and in extreme cases, improving drainage around their home.

Beginning on Monday, the City of Winnipeg is providing sandbags, which can be picked up from 960 Thomas Ave. Those picking up sandbags should bring ID showing they live in Winnipeg.

The Province of Manitoba’s March spring flood outlook warned of a major risk of flooding on the Red River from Emerson to the Red River Floodway Inlet. It also showed a low to moderate risk in most other basins.

As of Monday at 8:40 a.m., the water levels at James Avenue are 0.84 feet above the James Avenue Datum.

- With files from CTV’s Mason DePatie and Taylor Brock