Stay safe, stay off storm ponds

With more people heading outside for winter activities, The City of Calgary wants to remind kids and their families to be safe while enjoying outdoor skating.

Many City of Calgary or community-designated outdoor skating rinks are open or will be opening soon, offering fun, free skating for all skill levels. Rinks maintained by The City are checked daily for ice thickness and quality, and surfaces are flooded as needed to make sure they’re safe for skating.

Prior to lacing up, it’s important to remember that not all ice surfaces are safe for skating. While your community storm pond may look inviting, recreational activities are not allowed on them.

Storm ponds play an important role, providing protection from overland flooding while returning cleaner water back to the river, but they have hidden hazards that make them dangerous to people and pets. Rapidly changing water levels cause unstable air gaps and quickly changing depths. The ponds also have sediment and contaminants (e.g. bacteria, fertilizers, pesticides, vehicle fluids, metals and road salt) that are collected as water travels through the community on their way to the storm pond, which can weaken the ice. That’s why it’s not safe to skate, walk or play on storm ponds.

Find a safe place skate to skate near you at calgary.ca/rinks

What should Calgarians do if they see people on the storm pond?

We encourage Calgarians to call 311 if they see anyone on the storm pond. This information will help improve our outreach efforts in these areas. If you witness a person falling through the ice, stay back and call 9-1-1. If the person does get out of the water on to the ice or shore, throw an aid to the person such as a branch or rope that can be used to help pull them to safety.