When the ice began to break up, chunks of ice almost a metre thick crashed along the banks of the river. Within a few short hours, water levels in the Red Deer River subsided dramatically.
There were some tense moments Wednesday morning as ice on the Red Deer River built up near Nacmine.
Residents from Nacmine and communities to the west woke up to a shock on their commute into town, looking at ice build-up spanning from Nacmine to about the Drumheller Health Centre. With the ice, the water continued to rise.
Mayor Terry Yemen said the Town of Drumheller was monitoring the Red Deer River and on Wednesday morning dispatched a staff member by airplane to look at the Red Deer River levels and the potential for more ice.
Due to high wind they were not able to carry out the aerial monitoring. By mid morning however, the ice began to break.
There was also ice build-up on the Red Deer River near the Swinging Bridge, this broke up at approximately 10:30 am. About 45 minutes later at 11:15 a.m., the ice build up at the train bridge at Nacmine, broke up in a dramatic fashion.
While the river level has subsided, there are still concerns with high water on many of the streams throughout the area.
The province issued a flood watch Wednesday morning for areas in Central Alberta, including the Drumheller area.
The River Forecast Centre has been in communication with affected counties and there are no immediate concerns regarding homes or public infrastructure.
At 11:09 a.m, Alberta Emergency Alert issued a watch for the area from south of Blackfalds to just south of Drumheller.
This warning was preceded by a High Water Level Alert for Kneehill County, issued Monday, April 7 that warned of elevated water levels in streams due to run off.
The Hesketh Creek Low Level Crossing west of Drumheller was closed, however the single lane bridge remains open. A number of roads listed at www.kneehillcounty.com have been closed due to washout.
On Wednesday afternoon shortly after 5 p.m., a High Water Level Alert was sent out for Wheatland County because of elevated water levels in rivers and streams.
A flood warning means stream levels are rising and will approach or may exceed full banks. Flooding of areas adjacent to these streams may occur.
Mayor Yemen explains the high water levels are related to the heavy snowpack on the plains and the warm weather.
A number of creeks throughout Central Alberta are beginning to spill over their banks. The creek near Dunphy has caused some overland flooding.
