The Neebing-McIntyre Floodway once again showed its value in protecting the Intercity area from flooding. In April 2001, the Floodway's Diversion Channel was carrying excess flows from the Neebing River for a total of 22 days.

April 2001 set a new record for precipitation that month of 176 mm, mostly as rain. The considerable snow cover that remained at the start of the month 'ripened' and released large volumes of runoff water into rivers across Lakehead's watershed. Conservation staff kept a very close watch on the potential flood risk and were relieved that no major flooding occurred.

A further danger was ice cover on rivers. On April 13 the ice on the Neebing River broke up and headed downstream. Huge plates of ice rafted into the Diversion Channel like icebergs. In past years, it may have created an ice jam and caused flooding in the Intercity area. However, the larger capacity of the Floodway was able to handle both the ice and high flows.

April's high flows deposited large volumes of sediment in the Diversion Channel. Lakehead Conservation hired a contractor during the summer to dig out the sediment and restore the depth of the Diversion Channel from Redwood Ave. to Parkway Dr.

A second maintenance task was the removal of vegetation that was growing in the Diversion Channel north of the Redwood Ave. bridge. The vegetation can impede water flow, which would effectively reduce the Channel's capacity.

Toward the end of the year, a contractor placed rock fill adjacent to the Diversion Structure. From this platform, Lakehead Conservation will be able to remove logs and debris that could clog the openings in the dam.

Lakehead Region Conservation Authority
P.O. Box 10427; 130 Conservation Rd.
Thunder Bay, ON  P7B 6T8 (Canada)
Telephone:(807) 344-5857  Fax:(807) 345-9156