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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.
Global News
07-05-2025
- Climate
- Global News
Saskatchewan riverboat docked indefinitely due to low water levels, sand buildup
The Prairie Lily is part of what makes Saskatoon shine, but it appears to be hitting choppy waters in what could be its final season on the South Saskatchewan River. Senior Captain Mike Steckhan said silt and sand buildups have not been washed out naturally for four seasons now, and while he has been able to set sail at low water levels for the last three, he said it's now impossible to navigate safely this year. 'We did our survey with our small survey boat and there isn't enough water at the top of our course to actually turn the ship around,' said Steckhan. 'Since we haven't had a flush, now year four, the channel is essentially closed.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The riverboat has been in conversations with the province's Water Security Agency (WSA) since July of last summer. Steckhan is calling for water to be released from Lake Diefenbaker to flush out sand from the valley. Story continues below advertisement Shawn Jaques, President and CEO of the WSA, said it's not as simple as opening up the floodgates. 'Because of the level of the lake, we just don't have that surplus of water to release, to flush out the system if you will,' Jaques said. 'We just don't have the luxury to have that excess water to be able to do that at this moment.' Jaques said the last number of years have been drier than normal, with a below average snow pack from the Rocky Mountains. He added the lake is a complex system servicing different users and communities, including roughly 60 per cent of the province's drinking water. The WSA says it will continue to monitor inflows into Lake Diefenbaker, working with Alberta due to the Rockies acting as the lake's water source. The agency could not provide a firm timetable as to when or even if water would be released. Steckhan said his first voyage of the season was scheduled for Mother's Day, but instead he says Prairie Lily staff will be contacting ticket holders for refunds, with the rest of the riverboat's season now hanging in the balance. 'Because there's literally not enough water in this valley right now to float this ship, we simply have to cancel our cruises.'
CTV News
07-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Saskatoon's iconic river boat cancels final season until water levels improve
Saskatoon's iconic river boat the Prairie Lily is cancelling its final season due to low water levels in the South Saskatchewan River. 'The water flow over the last few years has been so low that sandbars have taken over the river. The Prairie Lily will have to cancel its cruising season if no action is taken,' Captain Mike Steckhan said in a news release Wednesday. 'Over the last few seasons, we watched the problem develop with the growing number and size of sandbars in the river. Since 2021 we have managed to sail in low water flow downstream from Lake Diefenbaker. We've watched the sandbars form in the river as a result of this low flow and no water events to clear out the sand.' Mike and his wife Joan Steckhan, who run the 119-passenger river cruise ship, say the Water Security Agency (WSA) has been retaining water in Lake Diefenbaker since 2021 due to lower rates of precipitation, so the city's stretch of water is no longer seeing the occasional 'flushes' that move sand silt downstream and clear the channel. The couple says local businesses, including the Prairie Lily, brought officials from the WSA out for a cruise last year to show them the conditions before they became an issue. 'No action has been taken,' said Mike. 'We contacted them last week after doing our annual pre-cruising river survey to advise the river was not navigable. We were informed on Friday that they will not release any additional water from the Gardiner Dam.' The Steckhans acknowledge the WSA needs to retain water for power production and irrigation but says water levels in Lake Diefenbaker are above historic average highs, 'and will continue to rise next month from the expected spring run-off from the above-average snowpack from the Rocky Mountains.' Right now, they say the WSA is just holding on to the excess water. '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,' said Mike. 'If managed effectively, the river could be navigable at low water levels for another three seasons before additional action may be required.' The Prairie Lily was scheduled to begin its final season of cruises on Saturday. Until and unless the WSA releases more water, the couple are cancelling all cruises.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency predicting average 2025 wildfire season
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is anticipating an average wildfire season for 2025, after a near-record number of burns seen across the province last year. 'The overall picture for Saskatchewan indicates better conditions than we saw in 2024,' SPSA president Marlo Pritchard told media on Wednesday. In 2024, Saskatchewan recorded the second-largest number of wildfire incidents and the second-largest recorded burn area in a decade, confirmed vice-president of operations Steve Roberts. SPSA is reporting three active wildfires as of Wednesday, two north of Prince Albert and one at Waterhen Lake. There have been 23 fires recorded to-date for 2025, down from 34 in the same time frame last year. A 2023 SPSA annual report notes the 10-year average number of fires was 419 with 591,950 hectares burned. Roberts said the predictions are based on precipitation and weather conditions so far. Fire crews have returned from other deployments or are in the process of being recalled and one air tanker crew is already in place. The SPSA is also set to receive the first of four new air tankers for its fleet renewal this May, to be operational later this summer. SPSA modelling says the colder, wetter weather this April is expected to give way to more regular conditions in mid-May, bringing with it a start to thunderstorm season. Dry conditions are expected in central regions of the province as is overall hotter than usual temperatures this summer. 'About half of the wildfires in Saskatchewan in any given year are started by humans, with lightning being the cause of the remainder,' said Pritchard. 'As a result, I urge everyone to take extreme precautions during the spring and early summer months.' Shawn Jaques, president of the Water Security Agency, also said spring runoff levels appear normal and 'significant' flooding is not expected this summer, with the exception of localized events. Flows to Lake Diefenbaker were controlled this spring to maintain a higher water level than usual, by approximately 80 centimetres. 'Even with the drier conditions in the fall, there's no anticipated concerns with water supply for any communities at this time,' he said. lkurz@ SPSA launches new app to support wildfire evacuees New public safety 'Mobile Command Post' vehicle unveiled by Sask. agencies The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
