An image illustrating where the proposed dam and resevoir would be located. Picture courtesy Boyne Valley Water Initiative website.

 

A letter of support for the Boyne Valley Water Initiative was sent by the R.M. of North Norfolk council recently. Reeve Neil Christoffersen says they are supporting the initiative, despite the fact it won't benefit their municipality.

 

The R.M. of North Norfolk's water supply comes straight from the Assiniboine River and the Portage Water Treatment Plant. Christoffersen says members of the Boyne Valley Water Initiatve came to council earlier this month and explained the project.

 

According to the Initiative's website, the proposed project consists of a new dam constructed on the Boyne River downstream of Treherne. The dam would store 24,300 acre-ft of water to increase the supply available for municipal, irrigation, and other uses in the region, particularly during periodic droughts or low summer flow periods. The dam could also assist in reducing flood flows in the reach between Treherne and Stephenfield. The new storage would provide greater flexibility in the management of the limited water resources in the watershed and surrounding region.

 

The new reservoir would be filled using flow stored during the spring freshet of the Boyne River (once sufficient flows had been released to assist in filling up the Stephenfield Reservoir located downstream) as well as water diverted from the  Assiniboine River. Any diversions would occur only during periods when the Assiniboine flows significantly exceed the current and future allocations downstream of the diversion intake, either during spring freshet in April to May, when much of the Assiniboine flows in this reach are diverted to Lake Manitoba for flood protection, or during the late fall when Shellmouth Reservoir is drawn down for winter.

 

The project has received support from a number of area municipalities including the Towns of Carman, Morden, Morris, and Altona as well as the R.M.'s of Stanley, Thompson, Roland, and Grey.

 

 

~ Wednesday, June 16th 2010 ~