Much of southern Manitoba, like this stretch of Highway 75, is still underwater. (CBC)

People in the small farming community of Melita in southwestern Manitoba were told Monday the Souris River has crested — a metre lower than forecast.

There were harried preparations in the town of about 1,000 people about two weeks ago when the river started to rise rapidly, threatening several businesses on the edge of the community.

'It's not the near the emergency state we were preparing for, but that's okay.'—Grant Hume, emergency operations centre

Volunteers and emergency officials worked 24 hours a day to build a permanent dike structure around the community.

However, Grant Hume, manager of the emergency operations centre in Melita and the rural municipality of Arthur, said on Monday that it appears the threat has passed.

"Everybody is relieved that the water is not going to get any higher, and everyone that I have spoken to, we are certainly grateful for the help we got from the province and local contractors and volunteers," he said. "We were able to get prepared for the higher levels even though it looks like we won't be seeing them."

The river, which originates in Saskatchewan and meanders south through North Dakota before returning north into Manitoba, had picked up a lot of precipitation during rains in the U.S.

"It's not the near the emergency state we were preparing for, but that's okay," said Hume.

No residents or business got water inside of their buildings, although several farm fields are underwater, he said.

Southern Manitoba still wading

Much of southern Manitoba was submerged this spring as the Red River and many of its tributaries spilled their banks. The overland flooding created a lake about 2,000-square-kilometres in size.

It has been slowly receding but many communities and homes are still protected by ring dikes, closed off from all transportation but boats.

The main transportation route between Winnipeg and the United States will also be impassable for a couple more weeks, say provincial officials. Floodwaters are still washing out parts of Highway 75 as well as many other secondary roads and feeder routes throughout southern Manitoba.

Once the water is gone, provincial officials will still have to inspect roadbeds to make sure they are safe for traffic, before making any decision on whether to open them.