Latest news with #GardinerDam
CTV News
25-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
‘No channel anymore': Increased water flows not enough to save Saskatoon's river boat
WATCH: Water levels are expected to rise slightly this week because of heavy rainfall, but the increased flow won't be enough to get the Prairie Lily. With water levels expected to rise this week following the weekend's heavy rainfall, the Water Security Agency (WSA) is warning residents in the province to be cautious around the South Saskatchewan River. But despite receiving enough rain to raise Lake Diefenbaker by one metre, Saskatoon's riverboat doesn't expect to see enough outflow from Gardiner Dam to get back on the water. 'It's been getting worse year, after year, after year; we've always been able to find a channel using our technology and experience, but now it's finally silted up to the point where there is no channel anymore,' Mike Steckhan, captain and owner of The Prairie Lily, told CTV News. On Monday, the province's water regulator said it expects to see flows along the South Saskatchewan River into Lake Diefenbaker increase from 100 cubic meters per second (m3/s) to around 830 m3/s. Those flows are expected to peak on Thursday. Saskatoon will see outflows from Lake Diefenbaker through Gardiner Dam increase a lot less than that, with the WSA set to open the taps from the current rate of 65 cubic meters per second, up to 75. The Steckhans have canceled sailing for the season, saying they'll call anyone who had bookings to arrange an alternate plan or refund. 'We'll be contacting them. We'd ask them, please don't contact us, it's a zoo right now. We have an awful lot of tickets sold,' he said. Saskatoon Prairie Lily Captain Mike Steckhan and his wife Joan aboard the Prairie Lily. (Carla Shynkaruk / CTV News) To try to keep the business afloat, the Steckhans say they won't be leaving the dock, but hope customers support them and come on board for other events they're planning, like cocktail hours in the coming months. When the boat is docked, they call the events along-sides. 'We're hoping that with the along-sides, dinners, brunches and so on. We're hoping that will generate enough revenue that we can keep our staff,' he says. The current WSA flow plan doesn't indicate enough water will be released to wash away the sandbars, the Steckhans say. 'Desilting or something of a cleansing flush for this river system, simply hasn't ever occurred to them. If it did, it's at the bottom of their priority list.' In their final season as owners of the Prairie Lily, before they sail off into the sunset, they're being realistic but admit they aren't ruling out a miracle from mother nature.
CTV News
23-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Saskatchewan River flows to peak on Thursday after heavy weekend rains
The Water Security Agency (WSA) is warning Saskatchewan residents to be cautious around the South Saskatchewan River, as heavy rainfall will bring flows to a peak this week. Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan were hit with significant rainfall over the weekend, with some parts of southern Sask. seeing up to 80 millimetres. To prep for the rain, the WSA says the province of Alberta began releasing water from reservoirs to make room to store the incoming precipitation. That reservoir outflow, coupled with the rainfall pouring into tributaries of the South Saskatchewan River over the weekend, will bring waters to a peak around June 26 this week between Alberta and Lake Diefenbaker — and other water bodies along the way. Flows along the South Saskatchewan River are expected to increase from 100 cubic metres per second to around 830 cubic metres per second, the WSA said in a news release Friday. Water levels in Lake Diefenbaker will rise approximately one metre in the coming days, the provincial water regulator says. 'Lake Diefenbaker has sufficient storage to capture the increases in inflows, but WSA will increase outflows on the South Saskatchewan to better manage the expected increases to lake levels at the reservoir.' Gardiner Dam Some experts say the Gardiner Dam at Lake Diefenbaker will produce less power if the irrigation project moves forward. (Jeremy Simes/CTV Regina) The water flowing from Lake Diefenbaker to Saskatoon is set to increase from the current rate of 65 cubic metres per second, up to 75, although the WSA said those were estimates that could change depending on rainfall intensity, duration and location. Last month, the captain of Saskatoon's iconic riverboat the Prairie Lily called on the WSA to release more water from Lake Diefenbaker to wash away the sandbars that are keeping him from setting sail for a final season on the water. In response, the WSA said it was proceeding conservatively with the water, as the river has faced several years of below-normal runoff at its source in the Rocky Mountains. Seasonal melt from the mountain snowpack along the Alberta and British Columbia border contributes 90 per cent of the water that flows downstream into Saskatoon, according to University of Saskatchewan hydrologists. The WSA cautions residents to take sensible precautions around lakes and rivers. 'Be aware that flows and levels can change rapidly and without warning. Please check local conditions before venturing on or near water bodies.'
CBC
08-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Saskatoon riverboat Prairie Lily docked due to low water levels, sandbars
The Prairie Lily river boat has run aground after over a decade of sailing the South Saskatchewan River. On Wednesday, owners of the Saskatoon riverboat said the water level is so low that they can't cruise the ship. "For the first time in our 13 years of sailing this ship, the sandbars have increased to the point where we no longer have a navigation channel," Mike Steckhan, captain and co-owner of the Prairie Lily, said in an interview. The economic impact will be huge for his business, which has stopped bookings and has been cancelling cruises getting into the season. Unless action is taken to increase the water levels, the Prairie Lily will be forced to cancel its season, he said. "There's no place that's deep enough for this ship. It's so low that there isn't a navigation channel for us to do our cruises safely, so we've had to cancel," said Steckhan. Sandbanks form when the silt carried by the river accumulates, and over the last few years, there hasn't been enough water running through to flush them out, he said. He's calling for the Water Security Agency, which controls the flow of water out of the Gardiner Dam, to increase the flow to remove the sandbars. "We're not asking for all the water in the lake. We're only asking the WSA to provide a volume of flow that allows safe operation on the river," he said. Will release more water if lake levels rise: WSA Water Security Agency president and CEO Shawn Jaques said that as of now, there are no plans to open the spill gates or significantly increase the flow of water out of the Gardiner Dam for now. He said that the current water level of the river flowing through Saskatoon is about 70 cubic centimetres per second (cms), which is equal to the amount of water flowing into Lake Diefenbaker — the reservoir formed by the creation of the Gardiner and Qu'Appelle River dams — from the west. "To put it into perspective, the median or the annual average flow typically is 145 cubic meters per second. So we're sitting at 50 per cent of what we normally would get," Jaques said in an interview. Steckhan said he wants to see 900 cms per second for 72 hours, or 400 cms for a number of days to mitigate the problem. Jaques said there have been dry conditions across Western Canada over the last three years, and the snowpack in the Rocky Mountains is also well below normal right now. "When you have a below normal snowpack, below normal precipitation through the summer months, it has an impact on the amount of water flowing into Lake Diefenbaker, which as a result, you will see less water flowing through by Saskatoon," he said. He said the lake provides 60 per cent of Saskatchewan's population with drinking water, as well as water for potash mines, agricultural uses and ferry crossings to be maintained. "If the lake level gets higher, or we get a large rain event in Alberta or the mountains or something that increases that inflow into Lake Diefenbaker, we will open the spillway gates, and we'll release additional water," Jaques said. Hard 'to not use a bunch of 4-letter words': captain Discover Saskatoon said the Prairie Lily is one of Saskatoon's most iconic experiences, and has helped showcase the riverfront to visitors and locals for over a decade. "It's also a business currently preparing for sale, making this disruption even more significant for its owners and staff," the tourism association said in a statement. It's hopeful that a path forward can be found that allows river-based businesses and users to continue to thrive in Saskatoon, the statement said. But Steckhan said he's frustrated by the situation. "Well, I'm an old sailor, and it's really a lot of hard work right now to not use a bunch of four-letter words. So that's kind of how I feel about it," he said.
