Assessing Land Loss from Flooding in the Lake St. Martin Basin in Manitoba, Canada - Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection

GEP > Vol.7 No.12, December 2019

Assessing Land Loss from Flooding in the Lake St. Martin Basin in Manitoba, Canada ()

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Download as PDF (Size: 1368KB) PP. 171-180

DOI: 10.4236/gep.2019.712012 611 Downloads 1,970 Views Citations

Author(s)

Tanzim Ahmed^1*, Raghavender Geebu², Shirley Thompson²

Affiliation(s)

¹Department of Civil Engineering, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada.
²Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada.

ABSTRACT

Floodwaters from the Assiniboine River are typically diverted to Lake Manitoba and then Lake St. Martin to save the City of Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie from flooding. The four Indigenous communities living Lake St. Martin basin experienced many negative impacts, including long-term displacement after the 2011 flood. Data analysis of historical water levels of Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin were conducted to understand the impact of control structures and water levels. Satellite imagery allowed geographic information system (GIS) raster analysis of the shoreline change of Lake St. Martin before and after the 2011 super flood. From 1986 to 2010, the Lake St. Martin area increased slightly by approximately 0.63% but in 2011 the lake area increased by 13%. 11,000 acres were lost mainly around Lake St. Martin First Nation (LSMFN) reserve and the Little Saskatchewan First Nation, as a result and many houses and other buildings (churches, band offices, etc.) flooded in these communities. The shoreline change analysis showed that, in particular, the west and north shoreline of Lake St. Martin lost its beaches and lakefront properties, to become swampland after the 2011 flood. Thousands of Indigenous people were displaced for eight years, as the community could only start to rebuild its infrastructure and houses on higher ground after a government settlement was reached.

KEYWORDS

Flood, Land Loss, Displacement, Shoreline, Indigenous, Water Diversion, Lake St. Martin

Share and Cite:

Ahmed, T. , Geebu, R. and Thompson, S. (2019) Assessing Land Loss from Flooding in the Lake St. Martin Basin in Manitoba, Canada. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 7, 171-180. doi: 10.4236/gep.2019.712012.

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