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 sent an Amphibex to Caddy Lake in the flooded Whiteshell area to help with drainage.

The machine, a bizarre-looking half-back-hoe and half-barge, is more familiar to Manitobans as something used in late winter or early spring to prevent ice jams and flooding on 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, it will be doing the work it was actually designed for, said a provincial spokesperson.

The Manitoba government retrofitted its machines to work on ice but the Amphibex is 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.