Water levels in the South Saskatchewan are dropping, falling below 100 cubic metres per second at Medicine Hat. Boaters are seen Tuesday on the South Saskatchewan River.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
@MedicineHatNews
The Milk River has less water flowing in it at the Town of Milk River than the Seven Persons Creek does at Medicine Hat, according to the provincial agency that monitors water levels in rivers and reservoirs across the province.
The Alberta town near the U.S. border reported this month it is conserving water supply as reservoirs are being tapped while the nearby river is hampered by a break in water diversion works in Montana.
That equipment, which broke in June, redirects a portion of flow from the St. Mary’s River to the Milk, which enters Canada, then returns to Montana further east.
A permanent replacement could be in place in late 2025 with the aid of U.S. federal emergency funding, but river flow at the Town of Milk River is almost 95 per cent below normal.
Flow fell below measurable amounts this week, while the river’s height is considered to be just 5 centimetres, or about two inches, at noon on Tuesday,
By comparison, the Seven Persons Creek flow was about 550 litres per second, or 55 cubic metres per second, at the same time, according to Alberta Environment’s river monitoring website. The creek’s height was 57 centimetres, or about 21 inches.
River level drops, too
The rate of flow in the South Saskatchewan River at Medicine Hat fell below 100 cubic metres per second – about two-thirds less than at this year’s highpoint recorded in early July as the river peaked.
The equivalent loss translates to one metre of height measured at the Medicine Hat monitoring station downtown.
City of Medicine Hat officials told a committee meeting last week that despite early optimism after a rainy spring, they are still considering the potential need to enact conservation measures to meet targets that are not voluntary.
“We are still positive,” said Kevin Redden, director of land and environment for the city. “But we’re trying to keep it top of mind that (with) prolonged heat and the reservoir levels … we may need to consider (conservation measures).”
At this point residents are asked to voluntarily reduce water consumption for non-essential use. Increased measures would limit outdoor watering to certain days and for amounts of time. City departments are also reducing water use in tandem with a goal of using 10 per cent less water city wide in 2024.
