Slave River levels rise due to heavy rains

The Slave River is spilling its banks near Fort Smith, N.W.T., this week, with heavy rainfall in northern British Columbia and Alberta to blame.

People who use the Slave River say they have noticed higher water levels and more driftwood in the river in recent days.

"It makes it a totally different river," John Blyth, who has been paddling in the river for nearly a decade, told CBC News on Monday.

"It's a whole watershed worth of driftwood flowing through the river."

Blyth said he is still paddling down the Slave River for now and maneuvering around the driftwood logs.

"It's just like being on a highway…. That car ahead of you is going 100 miles an hour, and the car behind you is going 100 miles an hour, and you wouldn't want to get hit by those cars," he said.

"But if you're going the same speed as them, you can move down the road with them."

Pelicans at risk

A spokesperson for the federal Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Department told CBC News that the river has risen by one metre, although levels were lower than usual this summer.

Municipal officials in Fort Smith said the higher river levels pose no threat to people's homes or property.

But the rising river may be having a negative impact on the area's pelicans, which have ground-level nests on islands in the Slave River.

The Fort Smith Pelican Advisory Circle will fly over the river to check on the nests, said John McKinnon, a member of the group.

"The chicks will be on the ground. They won't fly yet," McKinnon said. "They'll be quite small and pretty susceptible to impacts from a flooding event."

Depending on weather conditions, water levels in the Slave River are expected to drop off at some point. However, more rain could keep levels elevated, officials warn.