Spring thaw prompts warning

The province is warning the public that spring thaw has partially started in southern Manitoba basins, leading to potentially hazardous ice conditions on rivers, lakes, retention ponds and drainage ditches.

“While the ice may appear like normal winter ice, it may be very thin and will no longer support people and heavy objects such as snowmobiles and vehicles,” the Hydrologic Forecast Centre said Friday in a news release.

The centre also noted that outflows from the Shellmouth Dam are being reduced by more than half as part of the normal operation of the dam. The change is expected to weaken the ice along the Assiniboine River from Shellmouth to Brandon.

“Use of the rivers, lakes, floodways or drainage ditches for activities such as skiing, sledding and snowmobiling could be hazardous at this time and should be avoided,” the centre said. “Persons living near such waterways should be especially careful to prevent children and pets from wandering onto the ice.”