Flooded Caddy Lake to get help from Amphibex ice-breaker

A key piece of Manitoba's ice-breaking fleet is being hauled out of storage for its first-ever summer work.

The Manitoba government has sentan Amphibex to Caddy Lake in the floodedWhiteshellarea to help with drainage.

The machine, abizarre-looking half-back-hoe andhalf-barge, is more familiar to Manitobans as something used in late winter orearly spring to preventice jams and floodingon rivers.

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This time around, however, the Amphibex will be fitted with a rake-like attachment to remove floating vegetation that could block the tunnels that drain the lake.

Although this is the first time an Amphibex has been used by the province for a non-ice-related purpose, itwill be doing the work it was actuallydesigned for, said a provincial spokesperson.

The Manitoba government retrofitted its machines to work on ice but the Amphibexis a water machine.

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Caddy Lake has come down 19 inches from its peak following flooding after heavy rains last month.

Nearby West Hawk Lake, which flows into Caddy, is still at its peak, so the work of the Amphibex will help bring down West Hawk at the same time, the provincial spokesperson said.