Water levels on the decline after weekend river flow advisory
By Medicine Hat News on June 26, 2019.
River levels appear to be waning upstream of Medicine Hat after a high-stream flow advisory was issued over the weekend. The warning for the Bow River basin, from Banff eastward through Calgary, was extended to the Bassano Dam on Monday as heavy weekend precipitation made its way downstream. However, forecasters with Alberta environment stated on Tuesday afternoon that water levels on the main stem of the Bow River were decreasing and had peaked in most tributaries. The level of the Bow-fed South Saskatchewan River at Medicine Hat also appeared to peak, reaching 3.5 metres in height through the day Monday. That’s equal to an increase of about 75 centimetres, or two and a half feet, over 24 hours. In terms of flow, gauge readings at Medicine Hat approached 500 cubic metres per second late Monday – about midway between the average high and low during any given year. The average high is 900, while the 2013 flood produced a figure topping 5,000. Readings at the mouth of the South Saskatchewan near Grassy Lake also crested early Monday at about 425 cubic metres per second, or slightly above average, before receding. 7-6
