The Calgary Fire Department has lifted the boating advisory for the Bow and Elbow rivers, but Calgarians are still encouraged to exercise caution in and around the water.
The advisory was issued on May 29 after river flow rates rose due to the melting snowpack in the mountains. Heavy rainfall in the days following was also expected to increase water levels and high flow.
River flow has since decreased and conditions have improved, CFD said Wednesday, but while normal activities on and around the rivers may resume, low visibility and water temperatures still present risks.
“A lifted advisory does not remove the need for caution on Calgary’s waterways,” CFD said in a Wednesday statement. “Conditions are unpredictable this time of year and can change without warning, such as when we experience sudden thunderstorms that result in rapid, short duration increases in flow.”
CFD and its Aquatics Rescue Team continue to monitor and patrol the rivers, and remind Calgarians that lifejackets are required for all watercraft users, and alcohol and other intoxicants are not permitted on the rivers.
The Bow’s flow rate within the city peaked at 439 cubic meters per second on June 2, but has since decreased to 259, just slightly above the normal range for this time of year.
In Banff, the Bow river reached 302 cubic metres per second on June 1, but as of Wednesday is well inside the normal range at 101 cubic metres per second.
Though rainfall is forecast throughout the week, there are currently no high streamflow advisories in effect for the Calgary area, or upstream into the mountains.
