A frazil ice jam on the Waterhen River triggered flooding around the area where the river enters Lake Manitoba, north to PR 328, said the province.
A state of local emergency is in place in the Waterhen community, located on the east shore of the Waterhen River between Lake Manitoba and Waterhen Lake.
Monday afternoon, the province said 14 cottages had water under structures and in crawl spaces, while seven permanent residences had water under homes and in crawl spaces.
Ten people had left their homes and were staying with friends or family, said the province.
“Permanent dike infrastructure, including those recently constructed to protect the school and council building, are holding well. Some lower private dikes have been overtopped,” said the province in a release on Monday. “Local public works and fire department crews are pumping water from inside the private residence dikes.”
Members from multiple provincial departments, including Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs and the Office of the Fire Commissioner, are providing assistance.
Frazil ice also spurred high water levels on the Dauphin River, near Lake St. Martin.
“At this time, no homes have been impacted by high water. However, water levels have not stabilized,” said the province.
Frazil ice is created by a combination of weather conditions, including high river levels causing water to move very quickly and stopping the usual surface ice cover from forming.
“At the same time, the recent onset of cold weather is cooling the water below freezing temperatures and creating slush. This moving slush can form plugs in the river and become lodged in shallower areas of the river, causing a jamming and surging effect, forcing water to back up and rise,” said the province.
Around southern Manitoba, a thin ice advisory was also in place on Nov. 17.
“Many rivers and lakes in southern Manitoba are still in the process of freezing over. Ice is still thin and larger rivers still have open water in some areas,” said the province.
