page_title: Twin Lakes Beach, Manitoba
section_title: 2011 Flooding
hierarchical_section_title: Twin Lakes Beach, Manitoba / 2011 Flooding
caption_attribution_description: English: Geotubes installed along the shores of Twin Lakes Beach
context_page_description: Twin Lakes Beach, also known locally by many as simply "Twin Beaches," is a beach and a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba. On Lake Manitoba, it is about 100 kilometres north-west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg. Twin Lakes Beach is in both the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent and the Rural Municipality of Woodlands, and it is in the town of St. Laurent.
  On a natural isthmus dividing Lake Francis and Lake Manitoba, Twin Lakes Beach was formed by the natural process of sand accumulating between the two bodies of water over a period of years of being transferred from the bank of one lake to the bank of another lake by wind and water. The sand then continued to build up and eventually formed a sand dune. Plants can strive on the natural dune because after a storm occurs on the lake, the water levels increase, washing dead seaweed and other organic matter, onto the sand. After many years of decomposition, the compost turns to soil and acts as a fertilizer for local plant life. As a result, grass, plants, and wildlife are now to the area.
context_section_description: As a result of a wet year Manitoba Water Stewardship forecasted the lake to reach a level of 814 feet (248 m) above sea level.  However, the forecast was revised upwards numerous times due to precipitation and the extended use of the Portage Diversion to an eventual predicted peak as high as 817.81 feet (249.27 m) above sea level, well above the regulated range as well as the flood stage of 814 feet (248 m) above sea level, at the end of July. This was higher than 1955, prior to regulation, when the lake reached 816.25 feet (248.79 m) above sea level at Steep Rock.  There is however, evidence that the lake exceeded 817.0 feet (249.0 m) above sea level in 1882 due to major floods on the Assiniboine River for two consecutive years in 1881 and 1882 causing river water to flow into Lake Manitoba, some of which in turn flowed out of the lake from the southeast corner and back into the Assiniboine River.  Due to the topography of the land to the south of the lake, this could have only happened if the lake had in fact exceeded 817.0 feet (249.0 m) above sea level.
  As a result of the record or near-record low precipitation levels combined with above average temperatures for the month of July, the lake peaked at a calculated wind eliminated level of 817.15 feet (249.07 m) for a period of time in mid to late July. However, according to Government flood sheets, Lake Manitoba peaked at 817.7 feet (249.2 m) at the Westbourne gauge and 817.5 feet (249.2 m) at the less variable Steep Rock gauge respectively.  The flooding led to serious problems to cottagers who had already tried to prevent erosion and property damage through such methods as retaining walls, natural vegetation, rocks and rock cages, and some even resorted to moving their cottages back. These problems were not just localized to Twin Lakes Beach and also occurred on many parts of the lake. According to the Government of Manitoba Water Stewardship department, many areas around Twin Lakes Beach are not even above 814 feet (248 m) above sea level according to forecasted lake inundation maps released. This led to major flooding in the area from the flooded Lake Francis from behind, as well as damage due to high winds, waves, and storms.  A State of Emergency was declared in Woodlands and St. Laurent and cattle around the lake were evacuated. A sandbagging machine was assembled in St. Laurent and produced sandbags for use by cottagers and residents in both Woodlands and St. Laurent. Sandbags were also trucked in from the surplus stock from Winnipeg.
  
  On May 31 , strong winds from the northwest which reached at times over 100 km/h occurred on Lake Manitoba, causing waves as high as 7 feet (2.1 m) which resulted in major flooding at Twin Lakes Beach and the surrounding beaches such as Laurentia Beach and Sandpiper Beach, as well as other locations on the lake including Delta Beach and St. Ambroise.  The strong wind caused water from the north basin of Lake Manitoba to transfer to the south basin causing lake to surge (seiche effect) from 816.29 feet (248.81 m) above sea level in the morning to an estimated level of 820.37 feet (250.05 m) above sea level, a rise of over 4 feet (1.2 m). The result was overland flooding occurring on property and roads as well as damage to residences. Mandatory evacuations were ordered by the Rural Municipalities of Woodlands and St. Laurent to all cottagers and permanent residents on Twin Lakes Beach. Many cottages and homes were damaged and destroyed as a result of the storm. While the community remained under mandatory evacuation orders, structural experts were brought into the Twin Lakes Beach area to inspect every building on each property to assess the structural integrity of them and determine whether or not each building was structurally sound, and whether or not residents would be able to enter their homes and cottages. Buildings were rated on a scale of level of destruction from 1 to 4 with 4 being the worst, meaning that the building cannot be rehabilitated, cannot be entered, and must be demolished.
  In some of the more northern properti
caption: Geotextile tubes along the shores of Twin Lakes Beach
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