'Courtesy to the sandbars': Keep vehicles off sandy river shore, warns Meewasin

The Meewasin Valley Authority in Saskatoon is reminding people to keep their vehicles off sandbars, in anticipation of crowds taking to the sandy spots along the South Saskatchewan River shore this Canada Day weekend.

While people driving on ATVs and four-by-fours is not a frequent problem, it does happen, said Doug Porteous, the authority's interim CEO.

Keeping off the spots is "just a courtesy to the sandbars," said Porteous.

"They go up, rip around, tear up the vegetation, which is very sensitive along the shoreline," he said of offenders.

Not to mention the safety implications.

"When you get people sunbathing on sandbars and every so often somebody gets out there with an all-terrain vehicle and starts ripping around, it can cause a problem," he said.

And a financial one, too, for the offender, beyond the fine that may come with the activity.

"One guy [last year] … the tow truck got stuck, in fact, trying to pull him out," said Porteous. "It must have cost him a bundle."

A release issued by the authority on Wednesday says violators' vehicles may be ticketed and impounded. 

River to be faster-moving than normal 

The authority is also warning residents that the water flow in the South Saskatchewan River this weekend will be three times faster than it normally is at this time of year.

According to a forecast from the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency, the water will be flowing at a rate of 390 cubic metres per second.

"You have to remember that you're beside a river and not beside a lake, so you could step in off the edge of the sandbar and you're immediately in deep, fast-flowing water," said Porteous.

"So we want people to keep an eye on their children."

He also strongly cautioned parents to make their kids wear life-jackets.

According to Porteous, around 14 people die of drowning every year in Saskatchewan, with most occurrences happening while children are being supervised by their parents.