Historic Flood - 1995

The flood of 1995 was one of the most significant floods in recent years. Heavy rains in the summer and fall of 1994 and the resultant saturated soils were the preconditions that contributed to spring flooding. The recorded peak flow in the Assiniboine River in Kamsack, Saskatchewan was nearly twice as high as the previous record peak flows, which occurred in 1976. The peak flow of water upstream of the Portage Diversion was 711 cms (25,100 cfs). A peak flow of 390 cms (13,800 cfs) was diverted down the Portage Diversion channel. The Portage Diversion contributed 1,380,000 cubic decametres (1,115,000 acre-feet) of water to Lake Manitoba in 1995; which made up for 41% of the annual volume of water inflow into Lake Manitoba.