History of the Floodway

The original floodway was built following the 1950 Manitoba flood - one of the largest in the province's history. The floodway was completed in 1968 at a total cost of $63 million. It has saved Manitoba more than $10 billion in flood damage. The floodway has been operated since then over 20 times.

In 1997, the floodway was stretched to its limit. In the aftermath, Manitobans rightfully demanded increased levels of flood protection. Subsequently, the Canadian and Manitoba governments have invested $130 million in flood protection measures - including $110 million for flood protection measures in rural Manitoba.

After the "Flood of the Century", the International Joint Commission was charged with reviewing the situation and recommending options that would increase flood protection for the residents of the Red River Basin. A variety of options were considered and eventually the expansion of the current floodway was deemed to most cost effective way to protect residents from the largest recorded flood in Manitoba's history - the flood of 1826 that was 40% larger than the 1997 disaster.

Funding for this project is being shared equally by the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba to a total of $665 million.