Saskatoon water park plans on hold

A proposal looking at the possibility of creating a hydroelectric station and water park at a weir in Saskatoon has been put on hold.

The City of Saskatoon has been looking at the idea for years, but now says it's unsure whether to proceed with a full-blown study of the $65 million proposal.

"Water levels downstream may be higher than we used in our pre-feasibility production estimates, so one thing that we have to answer is what are those water levels and how do they correlate to the real-time flow past the weir," said Kevin Hudson of Saskatoon Light and Power.

The city's weir is used to control water levels in the South Saskatchewan River.  

A committee had proposed a park that would include facilities for rafting, tubing, canoeing, kayaking and swimming.

The weir has a 3.4-metre drop and some people believe it's dangerous because of the fast-moving water coming over the weir.

The initial report referred to by Hudson concluded the project would be technically possible and economically viable.

A report stated the facility could generate up to 47.5 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year, enough power for an estimated 4,800 homes.

Concerns were raised by the public, however, that the costs had been understated.