Amphibex icebreaking crews are at work on thick Red River ice north of Selkirk, Premier Greg Selinger announced yesterday at the launch point of the 2015 ice-jam prevention program.
“Once again the Manitoba Amphibex team will lead an important part of our overall flood-fighting effort to reduce ice-jam-related flooding on the north Red, ” said Premier Selinger. “The province’s advanced flood infrastructure protects Manitobans who are affected by flooding. We have seen how quickly ice-jam related flooding can develop, and the icebreaking machines and personnel will cut a path for river ice to move.”
Ice-cutting machines have been creating a grid pattern so the Amphibex equipment can break the ice and enable its movement to prevent jamming.
The provincial ice-mitigation fleet consists of four Amphibex AE 400 icebreaking machines, seven ice‑cutting machines and seven amphibious transport and support vehicles. The icebreaking and ice-cutting equipment is operated and maintained by North Red Waterway Maintenance Inc., a corporation formed by the rural municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements and the City of Selkirk with support from the Manitoba government.
The Amphibex fleet crushes more than 25 km of river ice annually.
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