During flood events the Floodway operates without any required actions. The Diversion Structure limits flows down the lower Neebing River and diverts excess flows into the 1.5 kilometre Diversion Channel which directs excess flows to the widened, deepened Neebing-McIntyre Floodway to Lake Superior.

In 1941, the region was hit by a fierce storm which caused extensive flooding on the Neebing River. The flood waters rose to the point where they overflowed into the McIntyre River. In an attempt to deal with flooding problems, the Neebing Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) was created in 1954. In 1963, as a result of expansion, the NVCA became the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA). Since then, the Lakehead Region has received several major rainstorms. The first three major storms, occurring in 1968, 1971 and 1977, caused the Intercity area to experience major damage due to flooding. Such was not the case in 1997, 2008 and 2012 thanks to the construction of the Floodway. The major storm in 2012 resulted in extensive damage; however the Floodway itself was fully functional and worked exactly as designed resulting in no riverine flooding in the lower Neebing River or Intercity area.

Gallery