Boaters told to stay off low-flowing North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton

While the warm days may be tempting outdoor enthusiasts to hit the river in Edmonton, power boaters are being told to hold off due to very low water levels.

A joint warning from Edmonton Fire Rescue, city police, park rangers and RCMP warned power boaters to stay off the North Saskatchewan River.

“River water levels are extremely low and pose a serious safety risk for boaters who may suddenly run aground,” a tweet from the city said.

Each spring in Edmonton, the river levels typically begin to rise in June as the annual snowpack begins to melt in the Rocky Mountains to the west. Right now, things appear to be delayed.

Jason Penner, a spokesperson for Alberta Environment and Parks, said the North Saskatchewan River is flowing well below normal for this time of year in Edmonton — by about half, in fact.

“The flow on the North Saskatchewan River at Edmonton is about 118 cubic metres per second as of 8:30 this morning, but the flow will vary throughout the day based on operations at the dams upstream of Edmonton (for example, the river was just under 150 cubic metres per second at noon yesterday),” he said on Friday.

The normal range for this time of year would be between approximately 210 and 340 cubic metres per second, he added.

However, the mountain snowpack ranged from ‘above average’ to ‘much above average’ when it was surveyed on May 1, Penner said, ranging from 126 per cent at Limestone Ridge to 177 per cent at Job Creek.

Rising temperatures are expected to increase mountain snowmelt and water levels in the North Saskatchewan River over the next couple of weeks, the province added.