“We are fully prepared for whatever might be coming our way.” Those are the words of the town of Niverville Mayor, Myron Dyck, regarding the possibility of spring flooding.

Dyck continues, “At this time of year, our public works is busy clearing ditches to allow water to get to the Red River. Especially the ditches that run from our community and then westward. We are scraping the streets and clearing the drains so water can run away. This includes getting our steamer ready so we can steam out culverts to further allow water to flow.”

When it comes to the residents of Niverville, Dyck says, with the freeze-thaw cycles, they are noticing some homeowners are having trouble with water rising and so the town is providing sand and sandbags which can be picked up at the Town’s Public Works Yard.

“People are welcome to come and get them and fill them and take them home as they need.”

When it comes to news of potential floodwaters making their way toward Niverville from the west, Dyck says they are staying in touch with the Province of Manitoba and checking for flood updates on an ongoing basis.

“We've been told that there is about a 10% chance that we would need to do anything with the dike, or Wallace Road on our western boundary. We might not need to make a full dike, but they are saying that we might need to at least have it in place across the highway, where vehicles could still pass over it. That is if the highway west of it is not flooded.”

Dyck says, since the flood of 1997, they have had a dike around the west part of Niverville, as per provincial flood requirements. During the ‘Flood of the Century” water came up to the railway tracks on the west side of the town.

As to whether Niverville residents need to be concerned about floodwaters washing out the homes in the newer subdivisions, Dyck says, “we have a dike in place and with that, we have protection from any potential flooding from the west.”

The other newer developments have retention ponds and sluice gates for the purpose of controlled drainage from communities southeast of Niverville. “We can either divert water around our community through various ditches and the dike or we can accept some of that water into our inland lakes, hold it for a while, and then when some of the waters have had a chance to run away, we can release and compound it.”

When it comes to the threat of spring flooding Mayor Dyck says they are fully prepared.

“Even if we get additional moisture, whether it be through rain or snow, we're fully prepared and we have the necessary infrastructure to manage this. On an individual homeowner basis, especially in the core area of our community where we still have open ditches and no curb and gutter or in areas where we do have the curb and gutter, frozen channels and a quick melt can cause water to creep towards homes. If this happens, they are asking the public to contact the Town of Niverville so that the situation can be dealt with as quickly as possible.”

Dyck says the town is trying to be as prepared as possible when it comes to localized flooding or the Rat River rising. “I’m just hoping for a slow melt. That it would melt during the day and freeze at night is good. I am really looking forward to warmer weather. Aren't we all?”