CALGARY- Those who make a living on the Bow River—or simply paddle around it—are trying to learn how to navigate the waterway after it was forever changed by the June flood.
In some places, up to 80 feet of riverbanks are gone, and the water now stretches twice as wide.
“It’s done stuff I would have never imagined,” says fishing outfitter Mike Gifford. “It’s a new river!
“It’s like it’s defied gravity, almost,” he adds, pointing to a spot where a new channel starts, which now flows up the Bow River valley.
A back channel south of the city known as the G-Run has been a famous trophy fishing spot for over four decades. But when the flood hit, it filled with rock, and is now bone dry.
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A number of fish were also wiped out, but Gifford says trout he’s caught are now fatter than ever, as high water boosts their food supply.
Alberta Environment is still assessing the full physical impact of the flood on rivers, including at Calgary’s Harvie Passage.
“It’s broken away in the centre, there’s been a whole shift,” says Steven Wapple from the U of C’s Outdoor Centre.
A rock and concrete barrier moved 40 feet downstream, and the slower paddling route now detours past a new island.
“It could be an opportunity to improve it and make the features even better than they were,” Wapple adds.
A geomorphologist is now building 3D maps of the rivers to help understand the changes, using drones and satellite imagery.
“It will help us understand about future flooding and future water resource allocation,” explains Chris Hugenholtz. “Ror example, any number of topics where the water moving through that channel has relevance to people and nature.”
Nearly half of the popular launch spots for fly fishers are still unusable.
There was a silver lining during the flood, however: when Gifford’s business was shut down by the flooding, he used his boat to rescue stranded residents in High River.
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