Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler was in Niverville on Thursday to highlight some smaller flood prevention projects that the province has been investing in.

Earlier in the week, the Manitoba Infrastructure installed a $3,000 walkway at an existing screw-gate. The screw-gate is situated on the northwest corner of the community where water flows through three culverts to escape the Niverville Dike. When water backs up from the river in a flood scenario, the gates are closed to prevent water from flowing back through the culverts into town.

The bridge leading to the screw gate in NivervilleSchuler says this metal walkway that leads to the gates will be very helpful.

"The complaint was that before this existed they would stand in up to three, maybe four feet of water and try to close them depending on how quickly the water moves. They asked if there wasn't something we could do. We as the department looked at this, the local officials worked with them on it and now it is very easy to get at. It is going to be very easy to close the doors."

Manitoba Infrastructure workers will now be able to walk to the gates and use a power drill to easily open or close them rather than trudging out with hip waders and a big wheel to open close the gates.

Schuler says we tend to think about the big projects when we think about flood control, but the province is often working on smaller projects that make a big difference.

"We talk about the floodway, we talk about the Portage Diversion, but almost just as important is a small project like this. Without this, we would just divert the problem somewhere else. Our berms, our dikes, the borrow pits, screw-gates, we have spent a lot of money on these kinds of things and we want to continue to do so."

John Funk is the Deputy Mayor of Niverville. He says the old way of opening and closing gates could be very dangerous and they are thankful that the province has decided to invest in this area.

Meanwhile, Schuler says his department has already begun to think about next year's flood season and they are working hard to make sure they are ready.