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The South Saskatchewan River has once again caused problems in Saskatoon, with fire department crews involved in two water rescues and the fast-flowing river prompting another safety warning from the city on Sunday.
River levels and flow rate in the South Saskatchewan increased markedly last week as the Water Security Agency (WSA) released more water from the Gardiner Dam after heavy rainfall.
Read more:
- VIDEO: South Sask. River to rise as Gardiner Dam spillway opens
- Brother of missing jet ski rider speaks out during Saskatoon weir search
- VIDEO: Water Security Agency opens spillway at Gardiner Dam for first time since 2020
The spillway was opened for the second time in 2026 on July 2 after previously being opened on June 10 — the first time it 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 increased the river’s flow to about 700 cubic metres per second, prompting numerous safety warnings, the agency said this week the river’s flow rate was expected to reach up to 770 m³/s this weekend, up from about 270 cubic metres per second usually seen.
The City of Saskatoon said in a statement on Sunday that the safety buoys between the University Bridge and the weir had been dislodged once again by the river flow, and it was working to reinstall them as soon as possible.
The safety boom had been damaged previously during the June 10 Gardiner Dam release and was missing when 32-year-old Adan Vargas Salvador went over the weir and under the water while riding a jet ski on June 20.
A body discovered in the RM of Corman Park near the Clarksboro Ferry on July 2 has been tentatively identified as Salvador.
The string of orange floats had been reinstalled in the river by the Saskatoon Rowing Club on June 24.
The usual string of buoys crossing the river weren’t there on the day Salvador went over the weir because of damage that happened earlier this month. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)
Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) crews were also involved in two water rescues on the river this weekend.
Firefighters helped a person stranded on Yorath Island just south of the city around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday after launching a rescue boat from the Broadway boat launch.
Aided by an RCMP drone and lighting set up at the river’s edge, crews found the stranded person and brought them to shore, where they received medical attention.
RCMP is investigating, SFD said.
And on Saturday afternoon, crews were called around 1:15 p.m. to remove an unmanned pontoon boat floating down the river. SFD said the rogue pontoon boat was coralled and brought to shore, where it was claimed by its owner.
The public boat launches beneath the Broadway Bridge and river access points in the Meewasin Valley are closed because of the danger the river presents.
The city on Sunday again warned people that all recreational activities on the river — including boating, paddling, swimming, floating, fishing from the shoreline and other water-based activities — were dangerous while the flow rates remained high.
People and pets should stay away from the river’s edge as unstable banks and submerged hazards can create dangerous situations, it said.
Anyone seeing someone in distress in the river should call all 911, keep track of recognizable landmarks around the area where they were first seen in distress.
— with files from 650 CKOM’s Mia Holowaychuk and Marija Robinson
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