Town hopes for delay in of flood gates in Fort Frances

Ken Johnston,
Editor

Local officials halted sandbagging efforts Tuesday night and did not call for renewal of them Wednesday morning as the river was holding steady.
Town foreman Bob Jenson said that they have fortified the low spots to be able to withstand a two foot rise in the river. A berm and sandbags were utilized to raise the wall on the water in those spots.
However, eventhough the river is holding steady it is expected to rise later today as the dam is opened in Fort Frances. The question is how much will it rise.
Town Clerk Deb Bowman said that the mill in Fort Frances said when circumstances are normal the rise per gate open is about 2 inches. However nothing is normal with huge runoffs being recorded along the Rainy River from its tributaries.
Based on the normal estimates if all 8 gates (plus the seven open already) were opened it should rise 16 inches, well below what Jenson estimates the town can hold back.
However Bowman said that officials at the Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake Water Control Boards were recommending the town continue to build the dike higher and sandbagging efforts. However, Jenson said that they likely would be wasting time as they could not build a dike all along the river fast enough if the water rises above the 2 feet level.
Water levels stabilized overnight but are still only a few feet away from the road at the base of Rainy River.
That road was constructed as a dike in 1951 after the great flood of 1950. In 1997 a spring thaw and ice jam saw the water come right up onto the road but it did not go over it.
Bowman said that they have received assurances that the control boards will try to open the gates in stages to allow the impact to be gradual.
Councillor Larry Armstrong said, “We need to buy time,” explaining that time would allow the runoff to subside and for water to flow into Lake of the Woods. It takes about 12 hours for the full effect of the gates opening in Fort Frances to reach Rainy River.
There was no word as to whether the dam at Kenora will increase its outflow to aid the situation.
It was hoped that decisions on how many gates and when they will be opened will be made by mid-afternoon.