Selkirk, province monitor ice jam on Red River

The City of Selkirk and the province are monitoring an ice jam north of Selkirk by the Highway 4 bridge on the Red River.

The province said it was caused by the narrow river channel in the area.

Unseasonably high temperatures in the double digits set off the spring melt.

When seasonable temperatures returned, the melt slowed.

“Temperatures dropped, went back to more seasonal. So everything slowed down now. So this ice could be here for the long haul,” said Selkirk Emergency Measures Coordinator Darrell Kupchik.

The province is monitoring the situation, and said it will consider using the Amphibex to clear the ice if conditions allow.

“There’s no properties in immediate danger in the City of Selkirk or even north of the City of Selkirk in St. Clements and St. Andrews, however that could change,” said Kupchik.

Kupchik said water levels rise on the back of ice jams.

Selkirk, St. Clements and St. Andrews all have plans and personnel in place as the ice jam continues.

“We’re not in panic mode, by no means. We have a plan and we’ll stick to it,” said Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson.

Highway 204 in East Selkirk is flooded, and the Selkirk Bridge has been closed since the weekend.

“We’re hoping to reopen this road in the next couple of days, but if the ice stays and we get that heavy water from the south, this could become bothersome again,” said Johannson.

The province wants drivers to avoid flooded and closed roads.

It said the Red River has remained relatively stable after most of the Canadian basin portion crested on March 18^th.