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Stay off the river: Saskatoon Fire & Protective Services

High river flows has Saskatoon Fire & Protective Services advising everyone to stay away from, and off of, the South Saskatchewan River.

The warning comes after the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA) increased outflow from the Gardiner Dam on Friday.

According to fire officials, branches, trees, deadfall and other debris end up in the river with increased water levels and flow rates well above normal, creating dangerous conditions and navigable hazards.

It also creates obstacles and safety hazards for Water Rescue crews.

The Meewasin Valley Authority says water flow through the city will increase daily over the next 10 days, creating unsafe shorelines especially where there are steep drop-offs to the river.

Flows through the city are expected to reach 800-900 cubic-metres-per-second by Sunday and current SWA forecasts say it will remain that fast until at least the long weekend.

SWA expects no flooding to occur downstream from the dam due to the increased outflow.

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