The mayor of Winnipeg Beach says it's time Manitoba Hydro helped pay for the damage caused by high water on Lake Winnipeg.

Don Pepe said lake waters have pounded the main dike and shoreline in his community this year. Manitoba Hydro uses the lake to generate electricity and controls the water level, which is presently above normal.

The maximum is supposed to be 217 metres above sea level, specified in provincial regulations. It is currently .03 metres above that level, according to the province's chief flood forecaster, Alf Warkentin.

'Hydro is making that revenue, but it's at the expense of the south basin [of the lake].'—Don Pepe, mayor Winnipeg Beach

When the lake level is high and strong winds blow in, the waves cause significant damage, said Pepe. Earlier this summer, storms rolled across the lake and into Winnipeg Beach. The winds whipped up the high water, which battered the main dike and eroded a large section of shoreline.

Damage to the dike alone is estimated to be at least $300,000, according to Pepe. Now fall is just around the corner and that usually means strong north winds.

"What's going to happen if we're going to have another hit like the way it's been?" said Pepe, the owner of a restaurant in the town. "When I sit in my restaurant, inside, and I see the waters so high and the waves that hit the top of the trees when they crash against the concrete wall, it is scary."

Hydro spokesperson Glenn Schneider said the company is trying to release some water from the lake.

"Essentially, the issue is there's more water coming into the lake than can be passed out of it," he said.

If higher water means more hydro generation and consequently, higher profits for Manitoba Hydro, the company should at least help pay for better dikes and shoreline protection, Pepe said.

"Hydro is making that revenue, but it's at the expense of the south basin [of the lake]," he said. "Some percentage of your profit [should be used] to protect our shoreline so that we don't lose feet. Every time there's a storm we lose more ground."

Schneider rejects suggestions that Hydro should help pay for better dikes and shoreline protection. He said the company's control of lake levels has actually saved lakefront communities from even higher water.