Techniques new to the Winnipeg area are being used to help preserve a section of the Seine River riverbank.

A $300,000 stabilization project at John Bruce Park is almost complete, with just some re-vegetation and ongoing maintenance left to do.

The project features green-gabions, flexible concrete armouring, riprap, willow spilings and slope re-grading to mitigate erosion and improve slope stability.

A press conference was held at the site earlier this week. Riverbank management engineer Kendall Thiessen says the project was a good opportunity to try a few new approaches.

"Because the Seine River in general -- at least at this site -- doesn't have the same bank heights as you might see on the Red and Assiniboine rivers, (has) lower flow rates, and isn't impacted by ice and flooding in the same way as we might see on the bigger rivers in the city."

He says they will monitor the site over time.

"How does it withstand repeated flooding? Will the willows survive that low on the bank or is that too low and will they have a low survival rate? ...Do they work well in these green-gabions? I don't think we've tried that in the city, especially this low on a riverbank; we've tried them higher up on sites where they don't get inundated."

The city says the project design phase began in 2016. Construction began in February 2017, and -- aside from ongoing site maintenance -- will be fully complete this month.