Most of the communities near Lake St. Martin were evacuated due to high waters, damage, and lack of access. Many of these families and businesses are still evacuated. The decision to drain water through the Channel was made based on destruction of 800 homes, cottages and businesses on Lake Manitoba.

The Channel was an engineering feat that cost $ 100 million and constructed 'to drain water from Lake St. Martin through the new channel to the Dauphin River and into Lake Winnipeg'.

To date there appears to be no intention to file an environmental plan regarding the closure, or to put species monitoring in place after the closure. Concern about the impact on the fishery in Lake St. Martin has not resulted in any assessment to date.