Spring came quickly to Alberta and because of that, flood risk in the valley due to snowpack has been greatly reduced.
The Town of Drumheller works closely with Alberta Environment and personnel from the Dickson Dam. This includes daily updates about reservoir levels, snowpack and outlet flows. On May 17, staff from the Town of Drumheller attended an emergency preparedness orientation.
Drumheller CAO Darryl Drohomerski tells The Mail they learned that much of the snowpack feeding the Red Deer River is already in the Dickson Dam.
“We were quite surprised considering all the snowpack we had that almost all of it is already in the reservoir,” said Drohomerski.
He says that there has been an undercurrent in the community concerned about potential flooding, especially following the event the valley witnessed in April as the Rosebud River swelled its banks.
Drohomerski learned from the dam operators that the melt came about three weeks earlier than the average of previous years, and the concern is not necessarily with flooding, but retaining enough volume to satisfy water requirements for the remainder of the year. Currently, the reservoir is sitting at about 60 per cent capacity.
He explains that while part of the function of the dam is flood attenuation, the primary function of the dam is to assure a reliable year-round water supply. While many believe that the water is retained in the reservoir for recreation, he says that is near the bottom of the list for benefits.
While Drohomerski takes some comfort in knowing the melt has occurred, there is always a risk of flooding from heavy precipitation.
“You never say never, anything can happen,” he said, adding that the town continues to be prepared for high water situations.
To monitor the Red Deer River watershed, please go to www.Rivers.Alberta.ca and select the following locations:
• Skoki Lodge and Limestone Ridge for snow pillow reports of how much snow is in the mountains of the Red Deer River watershed
• Gleniffer Reservoir shows the level of the reservoir behind the Dickson Dam
• Dickson Dam outlet shows the flow leaving the reservoir
• Red Deer River at Drumheller shows the water level and flow at the Gordon Taylor Bridge.
