Water has started to pool on the layer of ice covering the river. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Place your bets

River ice expected to break within the week

Apr 7, 2021 | 2:12 PM

Staff at Prince Albert’s water treatment plant are seeing signs ice on the North Saskatchewan will break within the week.

“There’s probably a good indication that within the next four to seven days we’ll see the river break,” P.A. water treatment plant manager, Andy Busse told paNOW. “But there’s no exact science to it.”

The plant’s instruments have started to show more and more organic carbon in the raw water, an indication that matter on the bottom of the river is being stirred up by increasing flow, Busse explained.

Eventually pressure beneath the ice will get so high the frozen layer won’t be able to contain it, triggering the much-anticipated annual parade of icebergs.

Water treatment plant operators are constantly monitoring the quality of the raw water being pumped into the facility from the North Saskatchewan. (File photo/paNOW)

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“The more velocity underneath, the more sediment gets stirred up,” Busse explained. “Until the flow gets high enough that it’s able to overcome the force of the ice, which ultimately will break the river ice and force it to move.”

Busse noted a spike in water level was recorded in Edmonton Tuesday, meaning ice on the North Saskatchewan is likely breaking there. That flow will reach P.A. in around four days, he said.

Busse reminded the public to exercise caution around the river this time of year.

“It is always an interesting event for us to watch,” he said. “But remember the river is unpredictable, please stay off the ice and away from the river because you never know what ice chunks are going to let loose at any given time.”

Last year’s river break up occurred on April 26 and saw waters surge to their highest level in 34 years.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom