WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 19 (UPI) -- Canadian soldiers were laying special fabric weighted by sandbags Thursday on a weak spot in the base of a dike west of Winnipeg, Manitoba, officials said.
The trouble spot was near Portage la Prairie in south-central Manitoba where seepage under a dike was eroding the base and threatened to collapse the wall, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.
The dike is on the Assiniboine River and was designed to divert floodwater into Lake Winnipeg, which is already three feet above normal levels, provincial officials said.
Steve Topping of Manitoba Water Stewardship told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. conditions meant only manual labor could prevent a breach.
"We couldn't get equipment in there -- heavy equipment -- because of the seepage zone, so that's going to be the issue," he said.
Despite seasonal flooding levels not seen in about 300 years, provincial officials say only about 100 homes have been flooded.
Winnipeg, at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, has not been affected.
Earlier this week, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger told CTV News the flooding would likely end up costing the province $200 million in emergency response costs. However, property and crop losses are expected to far surpass that.
Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured the affected areas by air and pledged federal support.
