Oldman River expected to crest Wednesday night

The Oldman River is expected to crest Wednesday night after four days of rain.

While the rain has stopped, the Oldman River continues to rise, with the river expected to crest Wednesday night.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the river had a flow rate of 746 cubic metres per second.

The province has forecasted the peak to be between 750 and 1,000 cubic metres per second.

Residents are being asked to conserve water because the water treatment plant can’t keep up with demand.

City crews are hoping operations will begin to return to normal once the river peaks and the flow begins to decrease.

“The plant is operating well, staff are doing everything they can to keep up and river conditions are starting to improve somewhat, so we’re starting to hopefully turn that corner,” said Lethbridge water and wastewater general manager Jason Drenth.

Several pathways and parks are closed due to the rain, and the fire department is continuing to ask residents to stay away from the riverbanks.