Winnipeg, MB - At an event this morning, Councillor Brian Mayes officially announced the riverbank improvements nearing completion along the Seine River in John Bruce Park.
“It’s crucial to preserve the riverbank in John Bruce Park so current and future residents can enjoy the Seine River for years to come,” said Brian Mayes, Councillor for St. Vital and Chair of the Standing Policy Committee on Water and Waste, Riverbank Management and the Environment. “This project used innovative solutions to protect the riverbank and provide a long-term improvement at the park.”
As a trial, this project used several erosion protection techniques that are relatively new to Manitoba. The project will provide long-term erosion protection to this segment of riverbank, which will help preserve the integrity of the slope and the recently-constructed path. This location was considered a suitable trial site because it is located along the small and relatively slow-moving Seine River, which doesn’t experience the same extent of flooding or ice-flows as the Red or Assiniboine rivers. This site will be monitored over time to evaluate performance.
The project features green-gabions, flexible concrete armouring, riprap, willow spilings and slope re-grading to mitigate erosion and improve slope stability.
At 28 kilometres long, the Seine River is the second-longest river within City boundaries.
The project design phase began in 2016. Construction began in February 2017, and will be fully complete in early June 2017 with ongoing site maintenance. The budget for the project was $300,000, and was funded through the City of Winnipeg’s Riverbank Management Committee Fund.
The City of Winnipeg is committed to undertaking riverbank stabilization and erosion protection projects through funding from the Riverbank Stabilization - Physical Asset Protection fund. The funding is used to address critical riverbank concerns in parks, riverbank greenways, and other public access spaces. Currently, over 200 City-owned parcels along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers have been assessed and included in the City’s inventory, with ongoing work to include sites on key segments of smaller rivers and creeks such as the Seine River.