Water levels likely to keep rising

The Swift Current Creek water levels are rising at Riverside Park, and that's a trend that will likely continue.

 

City of Swift Current Fire Chief Denis Pilon said they aren't overly concerned right now, but they're talking to the province about bringing in flood-prevention equipment.

 

"We are monitoring it constantly, and just to be prepared we're talking to the province about staging some flood-prevention equipment down in Swift Current because we'll be the first to flood, if there is any flooding in the province, and it can move from here to other places if need be. We're in the talking stage and monitoring things, but right now at this point we don't see a high risk."

 

At 4 p.m. today Duncairn Dam will be opened to increase the flow rate, which will mean more water getting to Swift Current around that time tomorrow.

 

Pilon noted the dam is above full-service level, and they'll bump the flow rate from the usual 200 or 300 cubic feet per second to 1,500 - which isn't as high as the rates they've seen in past flood situations. It takes about 24 hours for that water to reach Swift Current.

 

Temperatures are also a factor, as freezing at night can slow the thaw and mitigate rising water levels.

 

 

"We'll be doing some more drone flights over the creek to keep an eye on how things are going, and it's giving us a really good view of what's happening, and giving us the opportunity to plan a little bit better than we have in the past," Pilon said.

The drone use is something new for the fire department, and Pilon said it'll be handy for collecting data for the future for comparison purposes.