Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for the eastern corner of Rocky View County (RVC) on June 18.
The warning called for 50 to 70 milimetres of rain to fall on the town of Chestermere, and the communities of Dalroy and Dalemead.
Steady rain and thunderstorms were expected for June 21 and 22.
According the County, crews set up hour-by-hour monitoring of weather, storm, and river/stream flow forecasts; mobilized equipment (loader, skid steer, pumps, hoses) to strategic locations; staged sandbags at Keoma and Langdon and placed crews on standby to respond as required.
“We’ve done similar things for Bragg Creek and Cochrane Lakes, even though those areas are not identified as risks at this time,” said Grant Kaiser, manager of communications with RVC.
A Flood Watch was issued by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD) on June 17 for the Castle River, Oldman River upstream of the Oldman Dam, Belly River, Waterton Lake, Lee Creek, Pincher Creek and Little Red Deer River.
“Though it was really difficult to sleep last night as the rains sheeted down and the river levels rose, the Elbow is still well within bounds with reasonable flow rates at the monitoring station above Bragg Creek,” said Area-Councillor Liz Breakey on June 19.
“We are hopeful that Bragg Creek will experience a more normal spring freshet, and with the construction of a well designed berming and drainage program, will be able to weather future flooding episodes.”
A High Streamflow Advisory remained in effect as of press time for rivers in the Bow, Oldman, Milk and south Sask. River basin.
According to the Province, water level rises of between one and two metres were expected to occur, based on the heavy rain forecasted.
A high streamflow advisory also warned of stream levels rising or expected to rise rapidly. No major flooding was expected but minor flooding in low-lying areas was expected, according to the Province.
The City of Calgary Water Services started to lower the water level in the reservoir on June 16 to make room for the incoming flow.
As of June 17, the streamflow for the Elbow River was 33 cubic metres per second (cms) above the Reservoir and 40 cms below the Glenmore Dam. The Bow River flow in Calgary above the Elbow River confluence was 250 cms.
According to the City of Calgary, the seasonal norm for the Elbow River is 30 cms above the Glenmore Reservoir and 30 to 90 cms below. During the 2013 flooding event in June, the Elbow River above the reservoir peaked at 1,200 cms and at 700 cms below the reservoir. The seasonal norm for the Bow River is 70 to 400 cms.
The heavy rainfall warnings prompted fears of repeat flooding from last June’s historic event.
“Significant rainfall in southern Alberta has caused much concern for many communities, especially as it comes so near to the one-year anniversary of the 2013 floods,” Premier Dave Hancock said in a statement.
“The Government of Alberta has been working preemptively to coordinate responders, and has activated our 24-hour Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. Thankfully, the flood threat we are seeing this year is not as severe or widespread as what we experienced in 2013, but we know some people and communities have already suffered damage or may in the days ahead.”
For more information on advisories, river monitoring activities and flood recovery and preparation, www.calgary.ca/floodinfo
