Calgarians warned to stay off the Bow River after weekend rainfall
The weekend's deluge of rain has prompted officials to warn Calgarians to stay off the Bow River.
"Effective immediately, the Calgary Fire Department advises against boating and all other water activities on the Bow River during this time," the city said in a release on Sunday.
People are also cautioned against boating on the Elbow River, according to the city's river flooding information website.
The Alberta River Forecast Centre has issued a high streamflow advisory for both the Bow and Elbow rivers.
Faster than normal flow rates are making conditions on and near the Bow River dangerous, and increased turbidity is making hazards hard to spot, the city said.
"Along with turbidity and debris, conditions for a Calgary Fire Department boating advisory include Bow River flow rates exceeding 280 cubic metres per second above the Elbow River confluence," the release said.
"Calgary Fire and its Aquatics Team will continue to monitor Calgary's waterways while the advisory is in place and will notify Calgarians when the boating advisory is removed."
City officials say Saturday's rainfall was significant, but thankfully there was no major flooding.
Frank Frigo with the city's Climate and Environmental Business unit says the investment in flood mitigation projects has removed 71 per cent of the damage potential Calgary saw back in 2013.
The normally crystal-clear glacier-fed river is brown and murky today after runoff from the rain brought soil, rocks, debris, and other sediment into the river, increasing turbidity. (Connor O'Donovan/The Weather Network)
He says 75 millimetres fell by mid-afternoon.
"We would get typically about 300 millimetres across an open water season and then about another 100 millimetres of snow. So it was 400 in a typical year and to get something like 75 in a day is appreciable," Frigo said.
Calgarians are being cautioned to:
Be careful around riverbanks as fast-moving water can cause erosion and destabilization.
Warn children about the dangers of fast-moving water.
Keep pets away from fast moving water.
Cyclists and pedestrians should watch for low-lying areas where the river can submerge the pathways. Closures are noted here.
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This article was originally published CBC News on Monday, June 23.