Steer clear of fast moving Oldman River over weekend, Lethbridge water rescue team lead says

The Oldman River in Lethbridge in early June, 2026.

While the weather is looking great for the weekend in southern Alberta, Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services is still asking residents to avoid the Oldman River.

Heavy rain last weekend caused the river to have an increased flow rate, making it dangerous to the public.

While flow levels have decreased, the fire department says the river is still moving very fast, there’s lots of debris floating and river banks are unstable.

A boating advisory has also been issued for the river.

A high streamflow advisory for the Oldman also remains in effect.

“We tend to underestimate our river here in Lethbridge because it is a very benign river normally, but water is extremely powerful and you can get yourself in trouble in a hurry if you don’t respect it ,” said Lethbridge Fire and EMS Water Rescue team lead Charles Schoening.

“We’ll obviously come and we will do that rescue, (so) if you get in trouble, please call 911, someone will come help you -- but remember that creates an unsafe situation for everybody else when you do that, so it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to these things,” he added.

The city says up-to-date information on the river and any advisories in place will be posted on its website.