Dauphin Lake residents watch as large piles of ice inch close to shore

Residents along the southwest shore of Dauphin Lake are watching the water closely as towering piles of ice sit just meters away from their homes and cottages. 

Giant piles of ice started building up near shore on Wednesday, pushed along by gusty north winds, threatening a number of homes and cottages along the shoreline. One of those belongs to Bill Speers. 

"It's scary," he said while looking out at the lake. "But when you live along a lake you have to expect something." 

He's owned his cottage for more than 40 years and never has he seen ice like this in his backyard before.

"The power behind it is just unreal," he said. "I was here yesterday when the wind switched around." 

Councillor reminded of 2013 destruction at nearby development 

It's a situation Clayton Watts knows all to well. He's a councillor with the RM of Lakeshore. It was just three years ago that winds pushed up the melting ice along the shoreline at Ochre Beach not far away. 

• Wall of ice destroys Manitoba homes, cottages

That year, piles of ice, some more than nine metres tall, destroyed at least six homes and cottages. Another 14 suffered extensive damage. Thankfully nobody was hurt.

"I'm going oh my gosh," Watts said. "What's going to happen now." 

Watts has been monitoring the situation nearly around the clock this week. He said the saving grace this time around is the water levels are lower, meaning the ice is getting caught on sandbars near shore instead of being pushed onto it and into homes. 

"It was a little hectic last [Wednesday] night," Watts said. "Everybody was a little worried."

Neighbours help neighbours 

Watts said people living along the shoreline pitched in and moved others' property away from some of the homes and cottages most at risk. 

"I've got good neighbours," said Speers. "They moved my dock up and he [a neighbour] moved his up. Because if it was down there the ice would have got it." 

"You know in the last five years, we've gone through two floods and an ice shove," Watts said. "I hate to say it but people are getting used to this kind of weather." 

"Nobody seems panicked about it," he added. "As I say, this is minor compared to 2013."

But residents say while the winds are dying down, they aren't letting their guard down just yet.

"It can take another run at it if we get another strong north wind again," said Speers. 

"You just can't control mother nature," Watts said. 

Dauphin Lake is about 240 km northwest of Winnipeg near the city of Dauphin.