VIDEO: South Sask. River to rise as Gardiner Dam spillway opens

Water levels in the South Saskatchewan River are expected to rise starting today as the Water Security Agency releases more water from the Gardiner Dam.

The agency said the decision comes after heavy rainfall over the past few days, and said the spillway at the dam on Lake Diefenbaker will be in use once again.

Patrick Boyle, spokesperson for the Water Security Agency, confirmed the spillway was opened for the second time in 2026.

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The agency previously opened the spillway on June 10 – the first time the spillway had been operated since 2020 – due to a huge influx of water left from an above-normal snowpack and rainfall in Alberta.

But while the previous release of water through the spillway was expected to increase the river’s flow to about 700 cubic metres per second, prompting numerous safety warnings, the agency said it expects the river will be flowing even faster this time around.

The agency said the river’s flow rate is expected to jump up from about 270 cubic metres per second up to 470 m³/s on Thursday, but by Friday the outflows are expected to reach up to 770 m³/s.

“Typical outflows for this time of year are around 160 m³/s, making these levels significantly above normal,” the Water Security Agency explained in a statement.

“This increase will cause the South Saskatchewan River to rise roughly two metres through Moon Lake and 0.8m in Saskatoon.”

Boyle called the flows “dynamic.”

The agency said it expects the spillway to remain in use from Friday through July 25, “with outflows then being gradually reduced to 270 m³/s,” but noted that timeline could be extended if conditions change, increasing inflows into the reservoir.

Currently, the agency said it expects about 2,000 cubic metres of water to flow into the lake every second, well above the 400 m³/s inflow that’s normal for this time of year.

Once again, the agency urged the public to use extra caution around the fast-flowing river and the Gardiner Dam.

“Flows at this level can pose a serious safety risk for residents and recreational users in and around the water at this time of year,” the agency said.

Boyle urged people to be cautious when visiting the dam, being careful to obey all traffic laws and paying attention to their surroundings in the area. He said higher velocity and higher river levels can be dangerous, with faster moving water, and said those higher river levels could be expected for a “bit of an extended period.”

The City of Saskatoon said in a news release on Thursday it is closing the public boat launch beneath Broadway Bridge and river access points in the Meewasin Valley would also be closed.

It warned people in Saskatoon that all recreational activities on the river, including boating, paddling, swimming, floating, fishing from the shoreline and other water-based activities, are high risk.

It also asked people to avoid approaching the river’s edge, as the fast-moving water could create unstable banks and submerged hazards can create dangerous situations and to keep any pets a safe distance from the river.

The Water Security Agency said it plans to release water from Lake Diefenbaker using the spillway at the Gardiner Dam, which will increase the river’s flow from around 270 cubic metres per second up to about 770 cubic metres per second on Friday. (Water Security Agency)

Jet skier presumed dead after going over weir in Saskatoon

On June 20, Adan Vargas Salvador, a 32-year-old Mexican man who was visiting the city, went over the Saskatoon weir and under the water while riding a jet ski on the South Saskatchewan River.

The jet ski was recovered, but Salvador has yet to be found. The day after his disappearance, emergency crews said the search efforts had shifted to recovery.

The rush of water after the previous release from the dam damaged a line of buoys intended to prevent boaters from going over the drop, and the buoy line was subsequently removed for repair. By June 24, that string of orange floats was back in the river, installed by the Saskatoon Rowing Club.

— with files from Mia Holowaychuk