The City of Edmonton has closed several low-lying trails along the river valley due to rising water levels on the North Saskatchewan River following record-breaking June rainfall. The city reported that last month shattered a 112-year-old rainfall record, with 216.5 mm of precipitation, surpassing the previous record set in 2014.
Trail closures and affected areas
The affected trails include the Highlands-Dawson Trail, Capilano-Gold Bar Trail, Emily Murphy-Kinsmen Trail, and the River loop trail near Fort Edmonton Park. Additional closures are in effect along Mill Creek at Jackie Parker Park and the Minchau neighbourhood. City officials are monitoring conditions closely to ensure public safety.
Braeden Holmstrom, supervisor of River Valley Parks for the City of Edmonton, explained the criteria for closures. “When we see the river levels start to rise… and they get to 5.5 metres that’s where we need to start evaluating those conditions of our trails, because we have a lot of low lying trails, and when it hits that 5.5, you can start to see water get onto the trails, and we need to make sure they’re safe for the public.”
Water levels and evaluation timeline
Holmstrom noted that water levels fluctuated significantly over recent weeks. “We saw it rise to nearly 6.5 metres, but we’re back down to just below six metres today. We’re going back into maintenance mode, and once the river subsides to below the 5.5 metres, we will be able to send our teams out and make sure its safe for the public and see if any damage occurred.”
He added that determining the exact reopening timeline is challenging. “It’s tough to give an exact timeline, but over the next week, we should be able to get in and do our evaluations and start to open them up.”
Erosion and longer-term closures
One section of the Capilano-Gold Bar Trail has experienced erosion causing a small portion to collapse. Holmstrom stated that trail will remain closed longer than others pending damage assessment and repairs. “That’s the only one we’re aware of right now. What we’ll do is continue to monitor (the trails) over the summer. The amount of rain also impacts the slopes quite heavily with overland drainage. When you compare it with the high water, it can become a major problem in the river valley trails.”
City crews are actively monitoring all river valley trails, including low-lying, paved, and granular surfaces, to address issues as they arise. Holmstrom emphasized a proactive approach: “We start keeping an eye, and monitor every trail in the river valley, whether it’s low-lying, paved or granular trail and we make sure as things are presented to us, whether it’s users or staff reporting to us, we can evaluate and manage those problems as they arise.”
