How current river levels in Edmonton compare to historic floods | Daily Hive

Think the river looks high? It doesn't come close to Edmonton's worst recorded flood

City of Edmonton Archives

If there’s one thing Edmonton has seen plenty of this summer, it’s water.

And a quick glance at the North Saskatchewan River won’t leave you with any doubts. Prolonged rainfall has led to elevated water levels and localised flooding.

The high water has also prompted several closures. The east sidewalk of the High Level Bridge remains closed due to slope instability. All North Saskatchewan River boat launches are closed, and residents are not permitted to watch Canada Day Fireworks from the river or nearby riverbanks.

But while the river may look unusually high, these kinds of water levels are more common than you might think.

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We spoke to Andrew Livingstone, communications director for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, who explained water levels and flows on the North Saskatchewan River are typically highest around this time of year, with most of the water coming from snowmelt and rainfall in the mountains and foothills upstream.

“It’s been a very wet June, but the high flows we’ve seen on the North Saskatchewan River are not uncommon. Edmonton has a 50 per cent chance of seeing peak flows of 1,300 cubic metres per second or higher in any given year,” he said.

As of the morning of Tuesday, June 30, the river was flowing at 1,070 cubic metres per second in Edmonton.

Flows through the city are expected to peak Tuesday evening and into Wednesday at about 1,100 cubic metres per second, similar to last week when flows reached 1,130 cubic metres per second.

Alberta Rivers

To put that into perspective: a standard Olympic swimming pool holds about 2,500 cubic meters of water. At a rate of 1,100 cubic metres per second, you could fill an entire pool in about 2.27 seconds.

Since 2010, Edmonton has seen flows at or above this level six times: 2011, 2013, 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2023.

The highest flow ever recorded on the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton occurred on June 28, 1915. Peak flows reached an incredible 5,800 cubic metres per second, with water lapping up against the bottom of the Low Level Bridge deck.

City of Edmonton Archives

For comparison, that is more than double the average flow rate of water that gushes over Niagara Falls (2,400 cubic metres per second).

While the 1915 flood wiped out industry and destroyed communities in the river valley — including a dramatic but successful effort to save the Low Level Bridge — no lives were lost.

In Edmonton’s more recent history, the largest flood occurred on July 19, 1986, when flows peaked at 4,520 cubic metres per second, causing flooding in Cloverdale, Rossdale, and Riverdale.

If you ever want to get a sense of how high the river reached, there are markers underneath the Walterdale Bridge today that show the height of the river during both floods.