Crowsnest River has run dry?

[lannie]

Originally Posted by CNP

It's not dry. Not going dry. There is lots of snow in the mountains. It looks like it has for the past 50 years. The story published in the media is fantasy.........people creating stories to fit their narrative? I can't explain it otherwise.

Agree completely.

[densa44]

CNP is right, there is water over the falls at Lundbreck, but to my eye, not a scientist at all, just a vert old fly fisherman, there is barely enough water for the fish.

The rest of the rivers south of Calagry to Lundbreck do not look good at all, some are not even running.

The really bad news is the Oldman dam resevoir, it is basically empty. The river runs in a small ditch between large mud flats. The board launches on the north shore are high and dry. People who have bought "lake friont" property have some for sale signs. Farmers who have cattle that need water to drink and to grow feed are in a very precarious situation.

I really feel like I'm closing the door after the horse got out but here goes; how long will it take to fill the resevoir? Where did all the water that was in there go? Are there rules about how much water can be removed?

Thanks fellows for all your help on this. We are all in this together and we need a solution that we can all live with right now.

[Softhackle]

Originally Posted by densa44

CNP is right, there is water over the falls at Lundbreck, but to my eye, not a scientist at all, just a vert old fly fisherman, there is barely enough water for the fish.

The rest of the rivers south of Calagry to Lundbreck do not look good at all, some are not even running.

The really bad news is the Oldman dam resevoir, it is basically empty. The river runs in a small ditch between large mud flats. The board launches on the north shore are high and dry. People who have bought "lake friont" property have some for sale signs. Farmers who have cattle that need water to drink and to grow feed are in a very precarious situation.

I really feel like I'm closing the door after the horse got out but here goes; how long will it take to fill the resevoir? Where did all the water that was in there go? Are there rules about how much water can be removed?

Thanks fellows for all your help on this. We are all in this together and we need a solution that we can all live with right now.

News flash: I could hardly fish the Oldman below the reservoir last summer including Sept as they let all the water out instead of managing. Hence the reservoir is dry. Too much money to be made with sugar beets and corn I guess. The drought is nothing new, social media is….70s and early 80s were terrible drought years.

[densa44]

I'd like to know who is the "they". Letting all the water out during a drought is incompetent.

The fact that the area doesn't get much rain is well know so being good stewards of our resources is crutial or we soon won't have a fishery.

[Soab]

" they" had to run it above normal due to a minimum flow to Saskatchewan. the bow was so low that the Oldman had to make up for it. Once the flows are above 50 to 60 cubes , it just sucks silt out of the reservoir. Definitely a shame , hopefully it makes us better at water conservation. but I doubt it

[Mumbles]

Originally Posted by Softhackle

News flash: I could hardly fish the Oldman below the reservoir last summer including Sept as they let all the water out instead of managing. Hence the reservoir is dry. Too much money to be made with sugar beets and corn I guess. The drought is nothing new, social media is….70s and early 80s were terrible drought years.

News flash…
It certainly was managed just not to your liking. The government have deals in place with, municipalities, industry as well as the provinces down stream as to how much water is to be released.

[spurly]

Originally Posted by Mumbles

News flash…
It certainly was managed just not to your liking. The government have deals in place with, municipalities, industry as well as the provinces down stream as to how much water is to be released.

Managed till it was empty.

[CNP]

Originally Posted by densa44

CNP is right, there is water over the falls at Lundbreck, but to my eye, not a scientist at all, just a vert old fly fisherman, there is barely enough water for the fish.

The rest of the rivers south of Calagry to Lundbreck do not look good at all, some are not even running.

The really bad news is the Oldman dam resevoir, it is basically empty. The river runs in a small ditch between large mud flats. The board launches on the north shore are high and dry. People who have bought "lake friont" property have some for sale signs. Farmers who have cattle that need water to drink and to grow feed are in a very precarious situation.

I really feel like I'm closing the door after the horse got out but here goes; how long will it take to fill the resevoir? Where did all the water that was in there go? Are there rules about how much water can be removed?

Thanks fellows for all your help on this. We are all in this together and we need a solution that we can all live with right now.

The Crow is at normal levels for this time of year. Lots of water for the fish and the river is being fished regularly.

[smitty9]

that the Crow was dry around Lundbreck. Why don't some of you ask the town of Pincher Creek how its going?

Only thing worse in this world than enviro "chicken littles" are the willful ignorant who blithely think humans have no impact on the environment, and that measurements and data don't matter. Up until very recent snowfalls, the snowpack along the southern Eastern Slopes was at near-record lows. Thank God for some recent precipitation. I digress.

But, ya gotta love *some* of the doggedly determined AO crowd; so many think southern AB is blessed with northern Sask/Man/Ont like water volumes. Unlimited resources, keep on keepin' on! lol. "There ain't no drought here!"

Smitty

[slough shark]

Originally Posted by smitty9

that the Crow was dry around Lundbreck. Why don't some of you ask the town of Pincher Creek how its going?

Only thing worse in this world than enviro "chicken littles" are the willful ignorant who blithely think humans have no impact on the environment, and that measurements and data don't matter. Up until very recent snowfalls, the snowpack along the southern Eastern Slopes was at near-record lows. Thank God for some recent precipitation. I digress.

But, ya gotta love *some* of the doggedly determined AO crowd; so many think southern AB is blessed with northern Sask/Man/Ont like water volumes. Unlimited resources, keep on keepin' on! lol. "There ain't no drought here!"

Smitty

Here’s hoping this snow storm drops a ton of snow down south, drove through the crows nest pass this last weekend, 18 degrees and next to no snow on some of the mountains near the road, we’re going to need a lot of snow and rain to fill the reservoirs and keep river levels decent this year just because we are playing catch-up

[Pekan]

The Crowsnest river through Blairmore looks the same as is has for the past 4 winters.

[CNP]

Originally Posted by smitty9

that the Crow was dry around Lundbreck. Why don't some of you ask the town of Pincher Creek how its going?

Only thing worse in this world than enviro "chicken littles" are the willful ignorant who blithely think humans have no impact on the environment, and that measurements and data don't matter. Up until very recent snowfalls, the snowpack along the southern Eastern Slopes was at near-record lows. Thank God for some recent precipitation. I digress.

But, ya gotta love *some* of the doggedly determined AO crowd; so many think southern AB is blessed with northern Sask/Man/Ont like water volumes. Unlimited resources, keep on keepin' on! lol. "There ain't no drought here!"

Smitty

The title of the op is "The Crowsnest River has run dry?" It hasn't. That is what we are discussing here.

The MD, not the town of Pincher Creek, has water issues because the Oldman Reservoir is low. In fact the MD of Pincher Creek is now getting it's water from the Crowsnest River.

The Crowsnest River is not the only contributor to the Oldman Reservoir.

Who you calling willfully ignorant?

Ok lets clarify things The Crowsnest River originates at Crowsnest Lake and runs E for 50 km or so and terminates in the Oldman Reservoir N of Cowley. Water levels are normal throughout it's course.

Snowpack is probably near average, so I guess the Crow isn't going to go dry this year either lol.

Create your own thread for the "chicken littles" and "willfully ignorant" to comment or stay on track on this thread.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...ater-last-year

https://shootinthebreeze.ca/md-confi...media-reports/

David Desabrais, utilities and infrastructure manager for the rural municipality refuted a claim made that the Crowsnest River had dried up.

[densa44]

O.K. the town of Pincher Creek is trucking water, same for Lundbreck, and I don't know about Beaver Mines.

The reservoir has no water, and as far as snow goes here in Ciochrane we are getting very little, about an inch.

The province is now having meetings with "stake holders" about water use. I feel that I am a "stake holder" too but I don't have my livlihood tied to the water availability.

O.K if this helps, if it begins to snow or rain hard and we have no problems, that's great, on the other hand if it doesn't, what is the plan? Who decides who gets how much of the water that is left?

Is there a group that represents the people like me who use the river and its fish as a hobby?

[lannie]

Originally Posted by densa44

O.K. the town of Pincher Creek is trucking water, same for Lundbreck, and I don't know about Beaver Mines.

The reservoir has no water, and as far as snow goes here in Ciochrane we are getting very little, about an inch.

The province is now having meetings with "stake holders" about water use. I feel that I am a "stake holder" too but I don't have my livlihood tied to the water availability.

O.K if this helps, if it begins to snow or rain hard and we have no problems, that's great, on the other hand if it doesn't, what is the plan? Who decides who gets how much of the water that is left?

Is there a group that represents the people like me who use the river and its fish as a hobby?

The allocation of the water downstream of the Old Man Dam is the problem. The Crowsnest River itself is normal. Beaver Mines is also getting water trucked into the Village. Trout unlimited might be of interest to you in regards to the river but fisherman are also one of the worst abusers of the fish in the rivers of this drainage.

[densa44]

Is this true? If so how are we abusing the river, I haven't kept a fish in about 50 years. What are we doing that is hurting the stream? If there is something that you can tell us that we are doing, I for one will stop. I never use sinkers, never any lead.

What is going on down stream that is using up all the water?

Who decides how much water is released from the reservoir?

Thx.

[Dewey Cox]

There is something a little sadistic about fishing but having no intention of eating any of them...

[Stinky Buffalo]

Keep it on track, folks.

This thread is about water flow and conservation, not about the ethics of catch-and-release... That can be a separate discussion for another thread.