Flooding damages some areas in Fish Creek park
Some trails closed for safety— meanwhile, city releases warning for Elbow River
Parts of south Calgary’s Fish Creek Provincial Park were damaged by flooding after recent heavy rainfall, Alberta Parks said Saturday.
Some day-use areas and trails in the park were closed as water covered some pathways and caused some paths on the east side of the park to erode into Fish Creek.
“These areas are closed to park visitors and staff continue to monitor conditions to ensure user safety,” said Alberta Parks spokeswoman Jess Sinclair.
The collapsed pathway is near Hull’s Wood off of Bow Bottom Trail S.E., where the province has closed the parking lot and erected construction fencing around the damaged area.
Erosion in the area first became evident about three weeks ago, said Chris Lalonde of the Friends of
Fish Creek Provincial Park Society.
“Then in the past few days, that area got more damaged by the expanding of the creek and the flow of the water down-channel, and it basically moved the dirt from underneath the pathway,” Lalonde said.
“When the earth from beneath the pathway moved, it became unstable and caved in there. Now it’s not safe for people to be in the area.”
Bebo Grove near the southwest community of Woodlands also experienced some pathway flooding, but minimal damage. That type of localized flooding presents less risk to visitors but could result in wet shoes, Lalonde said.
He said he’s hopeful that largescale damage to the park, like that seen during flooding in 2005 and 2013, will be avoided this year but, with two streams running through the park, there’s always some risk.
“Every year, this time of the year, parts of the park do flood,” Lalonde said. “It’s just a part of nature, really, but when it does start flooding pathways and taking out infrastructure, then it becomes a problem.”
With warm weather ahead, Lalonde knows many will be out enjoying Fish Creek but says it’s important that visitors respect closures.
Elsewhere in the city, Calgary officials issued a high-streamflow advisory for the Elbow River on Friday, warning that recent rainfall has significantly increased flow rates and asking Calgarians to be cautious around the river.
“Where there’s water, there’s risk,” Calgary Fire Department spokeswoman Carol Henke said Friday. “These elevated flow rates dramatically increase the risk to those who are in and around the Elbow River.”