high water

Tsiigehtchic ferry fully reopens as water levels subside and N.W.T. gov't takes the reins again

Tsiigehtchic ferry fully reopens as water levels subside and N.W.T. gov't takes the reins again

On June 23, the N.W.T government was officially approved by the Gwich'in Land and Water Board to operate the Tsiigehtchic ferry landing, after its previous licence expired in November. The department said the timing of the licence approval wasn't responsible for the delay in the ferry's opening — that was caused by high water levels. The average opening date for the ferry over the last 15 years has been May 30. This year, it was open on and off from June 13 until June 21, and has remained open since then, according to the Department of Infrastructure's Twitter account. Lawrence Norbert of Tsiigehtchic told CBC News in mid-June that he and other residents were getting concerned when the ferry connecting the hamlet to other communities had still not opened. Their fears were around access to medical supplies and services.

Century-old treaty stops Alberta farmers from using Milk River for much of the summer

Century-old treaty stops Alberta farmers from using Milk River for much of the summer

The Milk River looks great right now, according to farmer Elise Walker. It's high, it's flowing and it's fairly clean. For now, she and about 30 to 40 other families in southern Alberta can continue using the water to irrigate their farms, helping to get them through a very dry spring. In fact, Walker already started to irrigate her 607 hectares (1,500 acres) of land at the end of March — the earliest ever.