Elbow River level rises dramatically as city conducts controlled release from dam

The Elbow River rose dramatically on Tuesday after the city opened the gates at the Glenmore Reservoir as part of a test.

The city carried out a controlled release of water from the reservoir, which increased the flow of the Elbow River and of theBow River,downstream of Fort Calgary where the two rivers meet.

The release increased the flow rate from about three cubic metres per second to a gushing 80 cubic metres per second, a rate the river sees roughly once every two years,saidFrankFrigo,theCity of Calgary's lead river engineer.

The release was done to confirmpreliminary findings that the river bed depths and flow rates of the Elbow River in the Mission area have changed.

The test is meant to help the city calibrate the flow capacity for the area from 22nd Avenue to 25th Avenue.

"Very much the observations that we're seeing are confirming the information that we were expecting," Frigo said.

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City crews will be monitoring the effects of the testuntil 5 p.m. when the controlled release is completed.

In some places, such as north of the Talisman Centre, the water is high enough to impact pathways along the Elbow.

People and pets should stay away from the river's edge during the test, the city says.

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