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The Canadian Coast Guard says water levels on the Mackenzie River are so low that its vessels will be sent elsewhere – and anyone on the river should “use extreme caution.”
That warning, issued in a Thursday news release, applies to a vast stretch between the start of the Mackenzie River off Great Slave Lake and the Aklavik Channel in the Beaufort Delta.
“Due to the current conditions, the Canadian Coast Guard’s level of service, such as providing on-the-water response and maintaining aids to navigation, is impacted,” the news release stated.
The Canadian Coast Guard has two Hay River-based ships, CCGS Eckaloo and CCGS Dumit, which are both specially designed to access shallow areas of the river so navigational buoys can be serviced.
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Even those ships will have to operate elsewhere while water levels are this low.
“Until conditions improve, the CCGS Eckaloo will operate on Great Slave Lake, while the CCGS Dumit will operate on the Mackenzie River from the entrance of the Aklavik Channel to Tuktoyaktuk,” the news release stated.
“The Canadian Coast Guard is monitoring the water levels and will return to full service as soon as possible.”
Water levels on the Mackenzie River have been at record lows for months.
Experts have attributed low water across much of the NWT to a drought that began two years ago. They say the issue involves factors like less rain reaching river basins rather than any connection to southern dams or other issues.
Correction: July 4, 2024 – 10:00 MT. This article originally stated that the advisory applied from Wrigley in the Dehcho to the Aklavik Channel. In fact, the advisory specified Wrigley Harbour. Wrigley Harbour is not in Wrigley – it’s actually a point east of Fort Providence to the south of Big Island that is considered the start of the Mackenzie River. It has nothing to do with the community of Wrigley, which is hundreds of kilometres to the west.
