City advising residents to not skate or walk on storm ponds

They may look inviting to skate or walk on, but the city is advising everyone to stay off of storm ponds as they are unsafe. The city monitors four surface areas throughout Lethbridge. Officials say they are deemed unsafe because the water level fluctuates underneath causing air pods making it very dangerous to walk on.  

“Everybody to stay off storm services, including our city staff, so we don’t go out there to monitor or check those levels at all. So, again, we only do the four surfaces that we check storm ponds as well also have because it’s flowing water from different areas of the city, it could have contaminants in their road salts or whatever. So it makes the ice that much, not as strong, so it doesn’t freeze as well. So again, if you’re walking out on there, that ice may look solid, but it may not be,” said Hiroshi Okubo, Parks Operations Manager, City of Lethbridge.

The four areas monitored are Henderson Lake, Nicholas Sheran Lake, and two areas at Legacy Park.