Calgary flood mitigation to stay in place, more rain is expected

Despite a rainfall warning from Environment Canada ending on Wednesday morning, Calgary is still concerned about possible floods.

The forecast now calls for a storm to hit the Kananaskis area next week, with the potential for 50 to 100 millimetres of rain. Heavy precipitation in the mountains could cause flooding in the Bow and Elbow rivers in Calgary, so the City is keeping the state of emergency in effect.

“We are seeing a potential for a second event to materialize,” said Francois Bouchart, Director of Water Resources for the City of Calgary. “It is important to understand that due to the recent rain, the ground is now saturated and will not be able to absorb as much rainfall. Therefore, future rain will result in more run-off into the Elbow and Bow Rivers.”

The City says it’s working closely with Environment and Climate Change Canada to track the incoming weather.

The City says the temporary berm that was built on Memorial Drive will stay up until early next week to help protect communities in the area, however one lane of traffic will reopen on Memorial Thursday.

“This is a great highlight of the speed, the adaptability, the responsiveness and the balances of the many priorities that take place in emergency management,” said Sue Henry, Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief. “While we watch the rain forecast for next week we will remain in a state of readiness to respond.”

The berm cost about $118,000 to build, but will protect about $53 million worth of property if the rivers were to overflow.

An advisory against boating on the Bow and Elbow rivers is still in place. The City says it will remain in effect until river levels recede to safe amounts. The Calgary Fire Department Aquatics Team is monitoring the rivers, adding it will share any changes.

Along with the boating advisory, Rideau Park remains closed, although Bowness Park, St. Patrick’s Island, and Prince’s Island Park have reopened.

The aftermath of the heavy rainfall in Calgary. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews Photo)

This week, Calgary reported several power outages and trees that were knocked over because of the extreme weather conditions.

The City says there were 1,008 tree-related calls to 311.

To report a tree that is blocking a roadway or on City property, report it at calgary.ca/311. If the tree has fallen on a power line, call the Enmax Power Trouble Line at 403-514-6100, if you see sparks or fire, call 911.

READ MORE:

• Calgary’s flood mitigation efforts are more robust than ever

• Calgary firefighters responded to hundreds of outage calls during the hefty rain storm

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If the tree has fallen on your property, it’s your responsibility to have it removed. Calgary says it’s temporarily waiving disposal fees for tree debris from the storm, you can take tree debris to any City waste management facility at no charge until July 15.

You can also throw tree debris in your green bin, as long as the lid can close and tree branches are less than 15 cm (six inches) in diameter and less than 1.25 m (four feet) in length. If your green bin is full you can put branches into paper yard bags, roll the tops of the bags closed, and leave it at least two feet to the side of your green bin for collection.

For more information, you can visit the City’s website.

–With files from the Canadian Press