A HISTORY OF FLOODING

• Neebing River and McIntyre River flow through a flat area of Thunder Bay
• major flood events in 1941, 1967, 1971 and 1977 when the Neebing River overflowed its banks
• expensive damages to residential, commercial and industrial properties in the intercity area

FLOODWAY THE ANSWER

• considerable debate over the years about the best solution to the flooding problems
• approval of the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway concept received
• construction began in 1980
• concluded in 1984 at a total cost of $15 million dollars

HOW IT WORKS

• the Diversion Structure restricts flow of water down the Neebing River to a safe level
• excess water forced to flow down a constructed Diversion Channel
• joins the McIntyre River to form a Floodway Channel
• Floodway carries water safely out to Lake Superior

PUT TO THE TEST

• in the last decade, the Floodway system has diverted from the Neebing River at least four times
• on each of these occasions, the Floodway prevented flooding and expensive property damage
• the Floodway is designed to handle even greater volumes of water than it has seen to date

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

• protection afforded by the Floodway has made possible the significant commercial and office expansion in the intercity area
• Floodway has prevented hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and disruption that would have been caused by flooding
• recreation pathways along the Floodway offer a pleasant setting to walk or bike
• Memorial Grove program has seen 2,800 trees planted in memory of departed individuals - forms a living tribute along the Floodway