A Salute to Professional Engineers & Geoscientists
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/946605
W W W.KGSGR OUP.COM WINNIPEG REGINA MISSISSAUGA THUNDER BAY Dedicated to excellence in engineering and project management, KGS Group is one of Canada's fastest growing consulting rms. Through the planning, design, supervision and management of signicant private and public sector projects across Canada and internationally, we have built a solid reputation for providing quality engineering services. SCIENCE IMAGINATION COLLABORATION forecasting when the stock market is going to go up or down. Propp said the flood prevention team can take all the precautions they want but each flood brings its own unique challenges. For example, ice dams were the major issue on the Red River in 2009 but there was no silver bullet. "The ice was very thick at the time of the spring run-off. If you raised the gates, you could have had ice pans flowing into the floodway and causing ice damming within the floodway. You had a dozen excavators trying to break it up to make sure it didn't get hung up on the St. Mary's Bridge," he said. "If you lose your capacity on the floodway, you're in big trouble." The forecasting group puts out a flood outlook at the end of February and another one a month later, which is when they have their best estimates of what's coming down the pipe. "They're always monitoring things. If you get a big snowfall or a rainfall event, which is worse, things can change pretty quickly," he said. Affectionately known as "Duff's Ditch," in honour of former Premier Duff Roblin, whose government initiated its construction in the 1960s, the Red River Floodway has proven its worth on many occasions. During the 1950 flood, nearly two decades before it was completed, 10,000 homes were destroyed and 100,000 people were evacuated. "Since it was constructed, the floodway has saved the province billions and billions of dollars in flood damage," he said. Although most natural disaster stories have focused on the 1997 "Flood of the Century," there is evidence that the situation was actually worse back in 1826, when flood flows were about twice as high as 1950. "It would have wiped out Upper Fort Garry and farming settlements," he said. ❚ The Red River Floodway has proven its worth on many occasions. Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press Files The natural water level is constantly changing, so Hydrologic Services Engineers need to continually monitor the flows through every tributary coming into the city of Winnipeg. Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press Files