Red River Floodway
The Red River Floodway, a Canadian waterway which opened in 1968 (first used in 1969), is a 47 km flood control channel which, during flood periods, diverts part of the Red River around Winnipeg and discharges back into the Red River below the dam at Lockport, Manitoba.
It can cope with floodwater at a rate of 1,700 m³/s.
The floodway, started on October 6th, 1962 and finished in March 1968, was a major undertaking with 76.5 million cubic metres of earth excavated—more than what was moved for the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal. This made such a mark on the earth that it can be seen from a low earth orbit. (Note: there is a myth that the Floodway, along with the Great Wall of China, can be seen from the moon. This is false—no manmade structure can be seen from the moon.)
During the "Flood of the Century" in 1997, the volume of flood water exceeded the Floodway's design specification. The "Z dike" was hurriedly built, extending diking south-west of Winnipeg. There was little flood damage within the city, but there are plans underway to improve the Floodway so it can cope with greater future floods.
