WINNIPEG - APRIL 04, 2005 - Residents who live along the river should move or secure any structures or equipment near the water’s edge, such as docks, sheds, gazebos, irrigation pumps, and recreational equipment.

Dave Wardrop, Operations Engineer with the City’s Water and Waste Department, advises, “The rising river level will affect each property owner differently. Each resident will have to determine how the rising river will impact their property, and take the necessary action to protect their belongings.”

Wardrop states, “We expect only a handful of homes to need a small number of sandbags to protect against the rising river, and we’ll be contacting these people directly.”

Residents may notice that the Red and Assiniboine River levels fluctuate up and down over the next day or so due to ice jams. Generally, river levels are not expected to rise much higher that last year.

Parents and teachers are urged to warn children of the dangers of playing in or near water. Wardrop says, “Remind children to keep away from all bodies of water, such as rivers, stormwater retention basins (man made lakes), creeks, streams, and ditches. Due to the high currents, ditches can be particularly hazardous near road crossings where water flows through culverts.”