The historic June rainfall highlighted longstanding weaknesses in the regional drainage network that extend well beyond municipal boundaries, according to RM of Rosser Reeve Ken Mulligan.
Mulligan said one of the municipality’s greatest concerns remains the capacity of Sturgeon Creek, which carries runoff from approximately 240 square miles of land before eventually passing through a single outlet along Saskatchewan Avenue in Winnipeg.
“We’ve got 240 square miles of drainage trying to go through a little hole,” Mulligan said.
He said the drainage system was significantly reconfigured in the 1960s, but believes later changes have reduced its ability to move water during major storms.
Among those changes, Mulligan pointed to the replacement of a bridge on Road 63 with culverts after the original structure was destroyed by fire, as well as reductions to drainage capacity along Saskatchewan Avenue.
Rather than blaming any one municipality, Mulligan said the flooding demonstrated the need for a regional approach involving neighbouring municipalities, Winnipeg and the provincial government.
He said previous discussions have examined diverting some Sturgeon Creek flows toward the Assiniboine River, but engineering studies and funding would be required before such a project could proceed.
“We need to work together as a region,” he said. “Right now it is not efficient at all.”
Mulligan also expressed concern about Omand’s Creek, saying maintenance issues have limited its ability to move water efficiently through Winnipeg, slowing drainage from Rosser and surrounding municipalities.
Beyond damage to homes, Mulligan said agriculture was heavily affected, with some producers already reporting substantial crop losses.
He also noted that many residents faced flooded basements, prolonged power outages that disabled sump pumps and uncertainty surrounding insurance coverage.
Looking ahead, Mulligan said municipalities cannot allow drainage improvements to fade from attention once floodwaters recede.
“People forget about water in the dry years,” he said. “Let’s not forget about it. We need to get this done.”
