Campers were evacuated from Red Lodge Provincial Park on Friday after a flood watch was issued for the nearby Little Red Deer River.
Erin Larson, public affairs officer for Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, said campers from about 20 park campsites were asked to leave as a precaution because of the flood risk.
Some 28 reservations for weekend camping at the provincial park 16 km west of Bowden were also cancelled on Friday afternoon and refunds were being issued to those with campsite deposits.
Larson said 108-site Red Lodge park campground is closed until further notice.
“Waters are continuing to rise, but the haven’t reached their peak yet,” she added, after speaking to provincial park officials at about 3 p.m.
Alberta Environment issued a flood watch for around the Little Red Deer River at about noon Friday. This means water levels are rapidly rising and could overflow the river banks.
Larson said the river is actually expected to peak further upstream from Red Lodge park. Anyone travelling, camping or living nearby is advised to be cautious.
Some 20 mm of rain was expected to fall in the Southern Alberta mountains and foothills on Friday — in addition to the 20 to 80 mm of precipitation those areas had received since Wednesday.
Heavy rain could also affect the Red Deer River basin. Environment Canada has issued a high streamflow advisory for the Red Deer River upstream of the Dickson Dam.
While only minor flooding could result, again, anyone in the area is advised to take precautions.
The Bow River and Oldman River basins are also expected to have rising water levels. As a result, the province has temporarily closed the group-use camping area at Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park, southeast of Calgary, until further notice.
More information about rivers in the province is available at http://environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins/default.aspx.
For updates and more information about the status of provincial parks, go to www.albertapark.ca.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com