BANFF, AB - 6:20 a.m. June 21, 2013 - The Town of Banff remains on flood watch. Town crews have closed Birch Ave and Bow Ave. Bow River Falls road remains closed. Sundance Road remains closed. All river pathways closed. High water levels in Recreation Grounds and stables. Recreation Grounds closed.
Birch Ave residents cautioned to not attempt to drive Birch Avenue.
Town crews are sandbagging Town infrastructure. Sandbag station for residents in parking lot at dog park (120 Hawk Ave). Bring your own shovel.
The water and wastewater systems are operating normally. Drinking water in Banff is not impacted and is safe to drink.
No highway update at this time.
BANFF, AB - 9:45 p.m. The Town of Banff remains on standby. The river advisory has been upgraded to flood watch for the Bow River in the Town of Banff. Drinking water is not impacted and all water and wastewater systems are operating normally.
Bow Falls Road is closed. Sundance Road to the stables is closed. Recreation Grounds closed. Stay off the riverbanks. The forecast is for more rain through the night.
The Trans Canada Highway westbound from Norquay Road exit in Banff is open to Golden, BC. The eastbound highway to Canmore remains closed until further notice. No timeline is provided for eastbound reopening.
The Town will post updates if conditions change. Please check banff.ca for updates, or follow @Banff_Town.
Banff, AB – 6:20 p.m. No change in Town of Banff status. Currently no imminent danger of flooding within the town. The Town is on standby and monitoring river levels. All water and wastewater systems are operating normally. Banff’s drinking water is safe and of the highest quality.
All local roads and the vehicle bridge in the Town of Banff are open. Highway update below.
The pedestrian paths along the Bow River are closed. The Recreation Grounds are closed.
The Town of Banff along with Parks Canada and local grocery stores have worked to ensure grocery supplies can be brought into Banff if required.
Latest highway report from Parks Canada at 6:14 p.m.:
Parks Canada will have one westbound lane of the Trans-Canada Highway reopened at 8 p.m. with a moderate confidence level.
Motorists will be able to travel west to Golden.
Motorists are encouraged to consult the DriveBC website http://www.drivebc.ca/ for road conditions west and south of Golden.
The Trans-Canada Highway eastbound from Banff remains closed until further notice.
A number of highways in the mountain national parks remained closed due to heavy precipitation causing flooding and mudslides.
Trans-Canada Highway—both directions at Carrot Creek, located just inside the Banff East Gate. Engineers are assessing bridge safety.
Highway 93S—the Banff-Radium Highway—from Castle Junction to Radium.
Highway 93N (the Icefields Parkway)—from Lake Louise to Saskatchewan Crossing.
Given persistent rain, there is no estimated time of road reopening at any of the aforementioned locations.
Additionally, as a precautionary measure, Parks Canada staff are moving campers at Two Jack Lakeside Campground to higher ground at Tunnel Mountain Campground.
There are no reports of injuries.
Updates on the situation will be provided every two-to-three hours, or sooner if conditions change.
For up-to-date road conditions in the Banff area, please visit http://511.alberta.ca/ab/en.html. For information on BC Highways, please visit http://www.drivebc.ca/
Banff, AB, updated 2 p.m. - The Town of Banff is on standby; currently, there is no imminent danger of flooding within Town boundaries. The Trans Canada Highway is closed eastbound and westbound and residents, visitors and employees living outside of Banff are asked to remain in the Town of Banff.
All roads and vehicle bridges within the Town of Banff are open.
Drinking water in the Town of Banff is not impacted and is safe to drink. All Banff water and wastewater systems are functioning normally and as they should.
Rainfall and groundwater may be causing some issues at local homes; residents should check and clear their drainage.
The Town of Banff is working with the local grocery stores and Parks Canada to ensure grocery supplies can be brought into Banff during this closure.
The Town of Canmore has called a Local State of Emergency and are evacuating residents in certain areas. For further details, please check the Town of Canmore website, www.canmore.ca.
The following is the highway and Parks Canada report at noon MDT:
A number of highways in the mountain national parks are closed due to heavy precipitation causing flooding and mudslides.
Trans-Canada Highway—both directions at Carrot Creek, located just inside the Banff East Gate. Engineers are assessing bridge safety.
The Trans-Canada Highway—west-bound at the Norquay interchange. Crews and additional equipment are removing debris from the highway.
Highway 93S—the Banff-Radium Highway—from Castle Junction to Radium.
Highway 93N (the Icefields Parkway)—from Lake Louise to Saskatchewan Crossing.
Given persistent rain, there is no estimated time of road reopening at any of the aforementioned locations.
Additionally, as a precautionary measure, Parks Canada staff are moving campers at Two Jack Lakeside Campground to higher ground at Tunnel Mountain Campground.
There are no reports of injuries.
Updates on the situation will be provided every two-to-three hours, or sooner if conditions change.
For up-to-date road conditions in the Banff area, please visit http://511.alberta.ca/ab/en.html. For information on BC Highways, please visit http://www.drivebc.ca/.