The land around Austin and MacGregor
The RM of North Norfolk covers about 12 townships (roughly 116 000 ha) in south-central Manitoba. MacGregor and Austin are the largest centres.[1] The Trans-Canada Highway runs through the municipality near those towns.
The Manitoba Escarpment cuts across the RM from southeast to northwest. The municipality falls into three landscape regions described in the federal-provincial soils bulletin:[1]
- Upper Assiniboine Delta (southwest): sandy delta deposits, including wind-modified dunes, with Black Chernozems and Regosols on the coarser ground.
- Lower Assiniboine Delta (below the escarpment): level to gently undulating sands and loams, with imperfect to poor drainage in many places.
- Red River Valley (northeast fringe): level lacustrine loams and clays, mainly imperfectly drained.
What the soil survey says about drainage
The same bulletin maps soil drainage for the RM as follows:[1]
| Soil drainage class (RM of North Norfolk) | Share of RM |
|---|---|
| Imperfect | 58.9% |
| Well | 22.1% |
| Rapid | 7.5% |
| Poor | 7.1% |
| Very poor | 4.3% |
Different soils need different designs. On the sandier delta land, water holding and the water table matter most. On the heavier ground toward the Red River Valley side, water moves more slowly, so lateral spacing has to match that. We take this into account at the design stage. The bulletin dates from 1999, so check current field conditions during a survey.
Watershed district
The Municipality of North Norfolk is in the Whitemud Watershed District.[2][3] Registered tile projects must not be inconsistent with an approved watershed plan, and if your outlet runs into a district drain, the district’s approval is needed.[4] Check with the RM as well, since municipal sign-off may be required.[4] See drainage licensing in Manitoba.
Working with Innovative Agri Tiling
- The whole job, start to finish: field survey, design, drainage permits and licensing, installation and the outlet. You deal with one point of contact throughout.
- An owner-operated company, founded in 2010. Every job runs under the management of the business owner.
- A small, steady crew: our main employee has been with the company since it started.
- A field survey and a written estimate before you commit.
- Drainage design for each field: outlet, pipe sizing and lateral spacing, matched to the soil and the crop.
- Lift stations and outlet control structures when the design calls for them. See lift stations and control structures.
- GPS-controlled installation machinery.
- We take care of the drainage permits and licensing for you: the provincial registration or licence application. See drainage licensing in Manitoba.
- Irrigation line installation as well. See irrigation line installation.
Related pages
Sources
- Land Resource Unit, Soils and Terrain: An Introduction to the Land Resource. Rural Municipality of North Norfolk, Information Bulletin 97-23, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Province of Manitoba, Whitemud Watershed District
- Manitoba Association of Watersheds, Find Your Local Watershed District
- Province of Manitoba, Environment and Climate Change, Drainage & Water Control
Last checked against the sources above: November 2026.