Bragg Creek Flood – June 17-18, 2005
> See photos of the first flood
> A Flood in the Life of Emergency Services
The End
The rain finally stopped about 4 PM Saturday. The flood was over. On Sunday the sun came out and except for some serious puddles and high water, the worst is over. We seem to have survived quite well. There are a few problems around the area, particularly in Redwood Meadows and at the bottom of Bracken Road. A lot of people were pumping their basements, but I didn’t see any widespread damage. The evacuation alert was issued over a concern that residents of West Bragg Creek could be stranded if one of the bridges over the Bragg Creek became impassable. This led to some discussion about the need for an alternate exit for West Bragg Creek and Wintergreen.
As of 4 PM, Saturday, 146 mm of rain had fallen since Friday morning. Highway 22 at Redwood Meadows and Highway 8 near the Hwy 22 junction were down to one lane.
Note: as of June 21: Most highways have reopened
RCMP – Extreme Road Conditions Warning! During the flood, these highways were trouble spots
Hwy 762, Hwy 546 west of Turner Valley ,Hwy 22 north of Turner Valley, Hwy 68 from Hwy 40 to Hwy 1 and Hwy 1 from the Cochrane to the Morely Overpass are all closed.
RCMP are asking motorists to reduce speeds on the highways to prevent hydroplaning. <
9 AM
As of 8 AM, June 18 we’ve had 120 mm of rain. It has stopped raining, but more is forecast. A voluntary evacuation order has been issued. Water levels in the creek and on the river have risen dramatically overnight. They’re back to the levels reached on June 8. It is possible that one of the small bridges on the west Bragg Creek Road could be inundated or that the exposed hill of dirt at the T-junction, near the Balsam Avenue bridge over the Elbow, could turn to mud and slide down onto the road. That would block access out of West Bragg Creek. We’ll keep an eye on it.
This chart shows the volume of water flowing through Bragg Creek in the Elbow River on June 21, at 10 AM, measured in cubic metres per second. The red line is the average flow. The blue line is the flow since last April.
Chart is prepared by Alberta Environment
https://www.environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins/default.aspx
Photos taken at 8:30 AM, June 18. Click an image to see an enlarged version.
| What a mess! Flooding is more severe than it was 10 days ago. Roads have been overrun and highways closed. As it is a weekend, the disruption doesn’t seem as severe, but the river banks and low lying areas have suffered more damage. | |
The Elbow River downstream from the Balsam Ave. bridge. The water is higher than the first flood and more trees are being ripped from the banks |
In October the water level is normal – not low or high. It appears to be about 2 metres lower that it is during the flood. |
These culverts were ripped out of the Elbow, upstream near the Trading Post, from under Bracken road during the flood of June 7-9. The water is already as high as it was then and more is is forecast. |
Bracken road was abandoned to the flood ten days ago. Bragg Creek has spead far beyond its banks in this area. |
High water under the Elbow River bridge in Bragg Creek |
This photo, taken in spring shows the water level is normally almost 2 metres lower. |
The mud slope across from the bridge at the T-junction is a source of worry for emergency officials. A slide could close the road. |
The Bragg Creek Shopping Centre has lost almost half of its parking lot to a massive puddle that is over the axles of most cars. |
Across from the Trading Post, the muddy torrent of water is again very high up the river bank. |
In the fall the river is much smaller than it is at high water. |
At low water you can walk onto this island without getting your feet wet. At right the island is above the culvert. |
The area in the photo at left is now transformed by flooding. |
The second bridge along the West Bragg Creek Road is the most vulnerable. It is the lowest of the three on that stretch and there are trees upstream that will be uprooted and could form a dam at the bridge. |
This is the third bridge. The water is usually almost a mettre lower than it is now. Low land throughout the area is flooded and water is flowing across roads. |
