Flow rates on the South Saskatchewan River on Friday are the fastest they've been in three years (Photo courtesy of Colton McKee)

By Scott Roblin

South Saskatchewan River

Public warned to stay off South Saskatchewan as flow rates quicken

Jul 3, 2020 | 3:51 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – With the weekend on the horizon and warm temperatures on the way, the Medicine Hat Fire Service is warning the public about high flow rates on the South Saskatchewan River.

As of Friday afternoon, the river peaked at roughly 1,120 cubic metres per second which marks the fastest the river has flown in years.

“It’s running at a level that we haven’t seen for about three years,” said Medicine Hat Fire Services Chief Brian Stauth. “There’s still lots of capacity in the river. But, as far as river safety goes it’s moving quick, there’s debris coming down the river, it’s sweeping logs off the shore and carrying those downstream.”

The cause of much of that rise has been due to significant amounts of rainfall in the mountains and Foothills, which is now reaching this corner of the province.

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“There was a tremendous amount of rainfall west of us and we’re starting to see that water here now,” said Stauth.

According to director of emergency management with the City of Medicine Hat Merrick Brown, water levels in the Oldman River and Bow River have either stabilized or decreased over the last 24 hours.

Even though the flow rate situation to the west of Medicine Hat seems to be stabilizing heading into the weekend, the public is still asked to keep off the South Saskatchewan River whenever possible.

This includes refraining from any walks along the bank of the river, keeping canoes and kayaks at home for the next while, and practicing caution along any areas around the river that may seem unstable.

Pet owners are also being warned to keep a close eye on their four-legged friends.

“People with pets near the river need to make sure their pets are on a leash and keep them away from the banks because they definitely can be unstable,” said Stauth.

Even though flow rates on the South Saskatchewan have peaked ahead of the weekend, there is no immediate concern of any flooding in Medicine Hat.

“There is lots of capacity in the river, so we’re not expecting flooding,” said Stauth. “It’s just a matter of continuing to remind people that river conditions aren’t safe right now for recreational use.”

Brown confirmed the City of Medicine Hat has been in communication with the River Forecast Centre and they have no concerns regarding overland flooding in the coming days.