Dangerous levels, speed on Bow and Elbow rivers spark boating advisory
Flooding not expected as thunderstorms, snowmelt cause water levels to rise
A boating advisory has been issued by the City of Calgary for two rivers that are running dangerously high and fast due to thunderstorms and snowmelt.
Although water levels could continue to rise given the chance of showers forecast over the weekend, the Bow and Elbow rivers are not expected to flood.
Still, city officials are warning people to stay off the rivers, be cautious when around both river beds and have an emergency response plan ready.
“This really increases the risks to anyone wishing to use the water, to be in and around the water. People may not understand how serious a situation it is until they’re in that situation and it’s too late,” Carol Henke, public information officer for the Calgary Fire Department, said Tuesday.
Last weekend’s warm temperatures and thunderstorms were the perfect combinations of weather to result in high and fast river conditions, which are extremely dangerous for people and pets. This led Alberta Environment and Parks, which monitors river levels and conditions, to issue an advisory for upstream from Calgary in the Bow River Basin area due to high streamflow.
With cooler temperatures anticipated this coming weekend, not as much snowmelt is expected but the rain showers could continue to raise or maintain river levels.
Sandy Davis, the city’s river engineering team lead, said the current high streamflow is fairly normal around springtime and isn’t yet at the threshold for flooding.
“We’re not expecting to get the amount of rain that would cause our rivers to flood in Calgary. So we’re not expecting the rivers to be overflowing their banks,” said Davis.
Her team continues to monitor the river conditions alongside Alberta River Forecast and Environment and Climate Change Canada to ensure they catch any threatening changes. They work with global weather forecast models that enable them to better analyze and model how weather conditions will impact river flows.
At this time of the year, the water is also cold, dirty and full of floating debris, which makes it more dangerous to be on the water and more challenging for someone to survive if they might find themselves needing to be rescued.
“You won’t be able to navigate or avoid debris, so that becomes a real hazard. The water is very cold so if you end up in the water, there is a chance of hypothermia and because of how fast it’s flowing, it makes it hard to self-rescue,” said Henke.
Members of the Calgary fire department aquatics team will be monitoring the rivers but people are advised to stay away from water until the advisory is lifted.
“There are other ways to recreate at this time. … Prevention is so important,” said Henke.
People can stay informed about river conditions online at rivers. alberta.ca and find more information about water safety on the City of Calgary’s website. Davis said the city has updated the site to include information on flood response plans during the COVID -19 pandemic.