BANFF - The Town of Banff is under flood watch - but there's no cause for alarm.
BANFF - The Town of Banff is under flood watch - but there's no cause for alarm.
A flood watch was issued for the Bow River upstream of the Banff townsite, including the town following heavy rains, while Canmore remains under a high stream flow advisory.
Town of Banff officials say there may be flooding of low-lying areas by the Bow River; however, no widespread flooding is expected at this time.
Paul Godfrey, the municipality's director of operations, said riverside trails remain open but all sanitary manholes in low-lying areas have been sealed off to prevent storm water entering the sanitary system.
"We are being vigilant and asking people to stay away from the river," said Godfrey.
"We are monitoring the trails regularly, and at some point if it continues, we will shut off the trails."
The rain and snowfall at higher elevations, in combination with higher than average water levels due to snowmelt in the past few weeks, is pushing water levels closer to the top of the banks.
Water levels on the Bow River may rise .02 metres due to the precipitation. At press time, peak water levels were forecast at the Banff townsite at approximately midnight on Wednesday.
Godfrey said the water level was 2.945 metres Wednesday morning, noting previous experience shows the water level will reach the banks at 3.17 metres.
The flow rate is 166 cubic metres per second.
