South Sask. River levels very low, expected to rise as melt continues in the Rocky moutains

South Saskatchewan River levels continue to remain low as we head towards summer.

According to the Water Security Security website, the river flow is sitting around 70 cubic metres per second, the lowest level it can possibly run at. It has been at this level for the majority of spring, as there hasn’t been a lot of snowmelt runoff this year.

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Water Security Agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle said for those who are wanting to get out on the river and for water sports should be cautious.

“There’s a lot of sand bars and things that move around here. It’s hard to predict and hard to react to sometimes, but certainly, you want to take every precaution to know what the river levels are at, what area you’re in.”

Prairie Lily Riverboat Capt. Mike Steckhan says unless you have radar and can see under the water, the safest place to Skidoo and boat around on a hot day is not on the river.

“The lake is way less of a headache to try and maneuver around on,” said Steckman. “You don’t have to worry about hitting a sandbar that could be a couple of inches below the water.”

Boyle says river levels should increase as more snowmelt flows downstream from the Rocky Mountains, how much remains to be seen.

“We have yet to get the water from the mountains from the spring melt,” added Boyle. “That should increase the flow of the river above levels of where they are now, which is the bare minimum.”

The Gardiner Dam at Diefenbaker lake controls the flow of the river.