Red River Dredging and Marsh Restoration Feasibility Study

The Red River Basin Commission and Marsh Restoration Feasibility Study will determine how resuming dredging of the Red River will help to reduce the risk of ice-induced flooding in communities along the Red River north of the City of Winnipeg.The artificial manipulation of the Red River Basin has greatly contributed to creating situation where the current hydrological configuration can no longer handle normal ice conditions, nor potential increases of water due to climate change. The marsh, which normally provided a natural system to clean the water, has been artificially flooded and is no longer functioning normally. It adds nutrients to Lake Winnipeg which is already in a seriously deteriorated condition. Additionally, changes in agricultural practices, such as tilling to the edge of the field, can increase soil movement into waterways due to buffers being removed. Furthermore, climate change has created more frequent and intense storms, contributing to major silt movement through wind and waves and flooding (resulting in river bank erosion).It has been observed that the ice is freezing to the bottom of the river system from the area of Breezy Point northward to Lake Winnipeg and no longer allows natural movement of ice that traditionally sent all the ice to the lake. As the ice is turned over by ice breaking in the winter time, it is common to see the silt attached to the ice. The ice rolls forward when the river is shallow; if the river is dredged, the ice could have the ability to roll under and this is often observed in many areas of the river system as the ice moves down the river: the deeper areas allow the ice to flush under, the shallow areas jam as the ice is forced to roll over. This is the reason for the occurrence of annual ice jams in areas north of Winnipeg in the river system as it goes to the lake. In order to deal with the added ice jams, the feasibility study aims to reduce not only the potential flooding impacts but also the following environmental, social, economic and health benefits:• Improve water quality by water depth and flow restoration and through removal of contaminated sediments and relocation to safe contained areas; • Increase carbon sequestration; • Restoration of the marsh habitat and biodiversity; • Mitigation of land erosion and lake level rise; • Increase flood resiliency and reduced vulnerability to a changing climate.• Increase return of investment from proposed dredging operations; • Deferred capital expenditures for the City of Winnipeg in wastewater treatment solutions; • Stimulus for local economy and new jobs in the area; • Increase health benefits from improved water quality, air quality, mental health (recreation in/with nature), and overall enhanced quality of life; • Education opportunities for the communities;• Revitalization of First Nation communities as a result of the restoring of the traditional hunting and fishing practices.