Environment Canada issued a flood watch warning for the Oldman River basin and Crowsnest River last Thursday, May 26th, after heavy rainfall and melting snowpack created higher than normal flows in area creeks and rivers.
A rainfall warning was issued for the majority of Southern Alberta on Thursday morning, with between 20 and 100 millimeters falling throughout the region over the course of the next 24 hours.
High River was declared in a State of Emergency after the Highwood River began to flood, forcing voluntary evacuation of residents of the community of Wallaceville.
Creeks and rivers in the Crowsnest Pass quickly began to swell, washing away debris such as logs and branches which had accumulated on the banks throughout the winter.
“Our biggest issue is
debris coming down the river and getting trapped at the bridges,” said Myron Thompson, Director of Operational Services for the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, on Thursday afternoon.
Municipal staff and crews were out all day Thursday and Friday monitoring levels in various local waterways such as Lyon’s Creek, York Creek, and the Crowsnest River.
Thompson said the
Municipality was closely monitoring the situation by utilizing access to real time data which electronically
updated them with information on water levels and flows, and through regular communication with Alberta Environment and Flood Watch.