Raft-puncturing rebar in Bow River now marked, Calgary Fire Department says

The Calgary Fire Department says it'sworking with other government agencies to deal with submerged rebarthat's creatinga water hazard on the Bow River near Crowchild Trail.

The fire department received nine separate calls for help over the weekend when rafts were either snagged or punctured by metal lurking just below or poking just above the water'ssurface.

• Rebar rips through rafts on Bow River, prompting multiple rescues

District Chief Bruce Gelhornsaidit appears the rebar may have been deposited in that location as a result of the 2013 flood.

"It is a risk," Gelhorn said. "That's why we're taking it very seriously and involved all the other agencies, our safety partners in Calgary to try and mitigate the problem right now and come up with a longer term plan to remove the hazard completely from the river."

For now, warningssigns have been placed at points where rafters enter the river and the fire department has marked the area around the rebar.

Kerr Drummond with Lazy Day Raft Rentals said one of their rubber rafts was damaged when a metal bar "went right through it."

"We've actually never had any issues in the whole nine years we've run this business, Drummond said.

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