Anyone who has spent time by the banks of the mighty James knows that every season brings changes to our river but none more dramatic than the high water season of late spring and early summer. So when snow starts melting at the higher elevations and the rain clouds begin to gather to the west, it’s good to know where to turn for up-to-the-minute information on water levels in the Red Deer River basin in general and the James River in particular.

Turns out there’s an app for that, the Alberta Rivers: Data and Advisories App launched today by the Alberta Government to provide information for watersheds province wide, including flood advisories and forecasts. The app is currently available for download to android devices with an iPhone version expected to follow within a few weeks.

Meanwhile, regardless of what devices you may or may not carry with you during the day, there are some useful websites you’ll want to bookmark to stay on top of James River streamflows. Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development’s Advisories and Updates page is your jumping off point for Advisories and Warnings currently in effect (high streamflows, flooding and ice jams) as well as Alberta Emergency Alerts. The link to River Basins Maps and Data is also interesting and informative, allowing you to access graphs and tables of river flows and levels. First select the Red Deer River Sub Basin and from there you’ll be able to view information on river flows and levels, precipitation and more.