Winnipeg has four major rivers : the Red , Assiniboine , La Salle and Seine . The city was subject to severe flooding in the past . The Red River reached its greatest flood height in 1826 . Another large flood in 1950 caused millions of dollars in damage and mass evacuations . This flood prompted Duff Roblin 's provincial government to build the Red River Floodway to protect the city ; the project began in 1962 and was completed in 1968 . In the 1997 flood , flood control dikes were reinforced and raised using sandbags ; Winnipeg suffered limited damage compared to the flood 's impact on cities without such structures , such as Grand Forks , North Dakota . The generally flat terrain and the poor drainage of the Red River Valley 's clay-based soil also results in many mosquitoes during wetter years
1997 flood
1997 Red River flood
Winnipeg