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.
City of Calgary or community-designated outdoor skating rinks offer 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.
While your community storm pond may look inviting, recreational activities are not allowed on them. These ponds are part of your community’s stormwater infrastructure and are there to reduce community flooding and clean stormwater before it returns to our rivers. Ice on these ponds is less predictable than ice on regular ponds and can be unstable even when it looks solid.
Here’s why:
- Storm ponds contain sediment and contaminants (e.g. bacteria, fertilizers, pesticides, vehicle fluids, metal, road salt) that are collected as water travels through the community on their way to the storm pond and can weaken the ice.
- Water levels are also constantly changing as water moves between inlet and outlet pipes creating unpredictable ice conditions.
- Although the ice may appear thick in some areas, other areas may have little to no ice and often snow can cover visible hazards.
Instead, find a safe City or community outdoor skating rink near you at calgary.ca/rinks.
