Bow River Flow and Colour Summer 2019

[FishnChips]

Hello Folks

I am puzzled as to the above normal water level in the Bow this summer. Early on, late melt and rain may have been factors. As summer progressed, it is noted that daytime temperatures in the Bow Valley have been slightly below normal. The colour of the Bow, is tinted with slightly more green than usual. It is the colour of spring melt, not mid-summer, and certainly not autumn. I notice more green grasses and more green algae as well.

My thought is that as the Bow glacier melts and retreats, the ice that creates the meltwater is from older ice. It may consist of ice with different particulate matter, which is then suspended in the water. It may also have a different chemical constituents, perhaps more beneficial to algae and such.

I would be most interested to hear other's thoughts on this.

[toolman]

It's from organic pollutants, thanks to the city's 60,000 plus storm drains that send untreated water directly into the river. Flows have been healthy due to a cooler, wetter year, which has also increased the loading of organic pollutants .

[FishnChips]

I was up to Lake Louise on Saturday last, and the river is higher there as well. The river is tinted blue-green over its entire course which is a bit unusual for this time of year. 

In my meandering sampling of reading disparate sources I came across a statement that rain can increase ice melt by up up to seven (7) times. I wonder if our wetter summer has played a part there? Your phrase about organic pollutants makes sense to me in this context as well. More rain would mean more organic material in suspension, some of which is natural fertilizer for algae and river grasses and so forth. 

Thank you toolman  

 

 

[bcubed]

Rain would also be over top of the moraines, such that it’s acting like glacier melt. I was out on a moraine last week hiking and it was leaking glacial milk in the rainy weather. 

You won’t see me complain about high flows!

[toolman]

Yes, I agree, these above average flows are good, but the nutrient loading is becoming very high downstream of the Weir. This why the Brown trout move up into the NW sections of the river to spawn. Cleaner gravel.

[tika]

Has anyone been past the Elbow lately?  It's been about 4 days for me but it looked like your morning double/double thru Stanley Park. My guess is the dam refit may have something to do with it.

 

[trailhead]

With the Elbow the ring road construction is also a factor.

[tika]

I drove by the Elbow today and saw a few pieces of equipment in the river around Wood's Park. I must have made my first observation before they got there silt curtains installed. It's cleared considerably. Doesn't seem like the most ideal time to be causing that sort of disturbance with the spawn coming on. 

[bcubed]

5 hours ago, tika said:

I drove by the Elbow today and saw a few pieces of equipment in the river around Wood's Park. I must have made my first observation before they got there silt curtains installed. It's cleared considerably. Doesn't seem like the most ideal time to be causing that sort of disturbance with the spawn coming on. 

They have till the 15th to be in river unless they have an extension under the water act. I believe the work is also for increasing spawning habitat by relocating gravels that don’t get through the dam  soooo prob not one to hate on