Retention pond in the works in Hanover

A retention pond might be coming to the Pansy area, with flooding a problem just south of town.

RM of Hanover Ward 4 Coun. Ed Penner, who represents the Pansy area, said the Ducks Unlimited Canada cells south of the settlement help create overflow from the Rat River, which eventually flows north into the Joubert Creek.

But before it gets there, the Pansy Community Pasture is taking some of the brunt of the overflow, with water taking over it, and the privately owned farmland beside it.

“It’s been bad for years really, we did some research there with a drone, and there’s good potential to put a retention pond, that’s why we’re pursuing it,” Penner said.

Hanover, along with the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District are planning on making a berm, along with a controlled flow on the northwest corner with a culvert.

“The community pasture, they’ve been underwater for the last number of years, they can’t even use those quarters.”

Penner said that nearby residents are excited that the RM is looking into fixing the issue and getting the water off their land.

He added they are still in the beginning stages of planning, and that it will probably be two or three years before it’s completed. According to Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District manager Joey Pankiw in a presentation to Hanover council last month, shovels could hit the dirt as early as 2025.

According to the presentation, the berm is planned to be 1,100 metres long, and half a metre tall. The entire retention site is 50 acres.

Penner said the project will cost Hanover nothing, as it’s through the watershed district.