River Update #7 - South Saskatchewan Peaks At Medicine Hat

Minor flooding along Harlow on the river side of the berm covers the pathway Thursday afternoon. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

The South Saskatchewan River at Medicine Hat is hitting its crest Friday morning as all upstream tributaries are now seeing the streamflows and water levels reducing across the Bow and Oldman basins.

As of early Friday morning, the river at the Hat is running at stable 1630 m³/s and isn’t likely to rise much if at all as levels are fall at the confluence of the Bow and Oldman rivers.

Southern Alberta rivers have seen the highest water levels since 2013 but have remained well below the damaging flood levels which wrought havoc across the region.

The Bow at Calgary as well as the South Saskatchewan at Medicine Hat hit some of the higher levels since records were collected beginning in the early 20th century, both hitting the 90th percentile mark.

The Oldman River levels at Lethbridge reached the 76th to 90th percentile of its highest levels since records began, according to the Water Survey of Canada data. 

But while Alberta rivers are on the downward swing, things are picking up in neighbouring Saskatchewan with the floodgates at the Gardiner Dam opening for the first time in six years this week.

No major flooding is anticipated though the Water Security Agency is warning residents to be aware of changing river conditions.

River levels throughout the Bow, Oldman and South Saskatchewan basins continue to remain elevated for days and, as of Friday morning, all remain under a high streamflow advisory.