Officials in central Alberta remained cautious about the potential for flooding on Thursday after heavy rain hit that region and others in the province in recent days.
Red Deer city officials said water levels on the Red Deer River had started to peak, but noted the waterway remains under a high streamflow advisory.
“This afternoon we received information from the Dickson Dam and Alberta Environment that water levels have begun to peak on the Red Deer River, which is positive news and one factor we use when assessing flood risk,” Ken McMullen, the City of Red Deer’s director of emergency management, said in a post on the city’s website.
“Other factors we consider in addition to the level of the Red Deer River, is water levels on the Little Red Deer and Medicine rivers that feed into the Red Deer River downstream of the dam, how quickly snowmelt is occurring in the mountains, as well as the precipitation our city and region are experiencing.”
READ MORE: City of Red Deer prepares in case of flooding amid heavy rainfall
According to the provincial government, a flood warning remained in effect for the Little Red Deer River on Thursday afternoon.
According to city officials, the Red Deer River’s water level has risen about one-and-half metres since Monday. They added that some low-lying areas of the McKenzie Trail area had isolated flooding.
As of Thursday afternoon, the city said the Lion’s Campground and all boat launches on the river remain closed but a number of amenities have reopened: Great Chief Park, the outdoor pool at the recreation centre, the Capstone Fountain, the Blue Grass Sod Farms Central Spray and Play, as well as outdoor sports fields.
For the latest on flood concerns in the Red Deer area, click here: http://www.reddeer.ca/flood.
Flood warning issued for Clearwater River
In an update on the potential flood situation on Thursday afternoon, the provincial government said a new flood warning has been issued for the Clearwater River near Rocky Mountain House.
Elsewhere in the North Saskatchewan River Basin, flood watches remained in effect for the Brazeau River, the Ram River, Prairie Creek, the Baptiste River and the Nordegg River.
READ MORE: Edmonton issues warning about water levels on North Saskatchewan River
With regard to the Bow River Basin, a flood watch remained in effect for the Pipestone River on Thursday afternoon.
“Ten to 30 millimetres of rainfall are expected in central portions of the province through June 17,” the provincial government said in a news release. “The largest amounts of rain will be due to convective activity June 16 and 17.”
Despite the ongoing concerns in some areas, the provincial government noted that “water levels in most rivers flowing out of the foothills in central and southern Alberta have continued to fall.”
READ MORE: Rainfall warnings ended for all of Alberta
As of Thursday afternoon, states of local emergency remained active in Calgary and in the Municipal District of Bighorn.
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