Warm weather slows outdoor rink flooding in Regina

The unusually warm weather in Saskatchewan this winter has slowed down the flooding of outdoor rinks in Regina.

According to Ray Morgan, manager of parks maintenance and cemeteries, around 10 boarded rinks were officially open to the public as of Wednesday.

Morgan said there are approximately 26 boarded rinks in the city.

“They’re a little bit slower coming,” he said. “The warm weather has had an impact on them but these mornings have been cool, so we’re starting to make progress on them.”

Morgan said cooler morning temperatures can allow for rink flooding, When temperatures rise above zero in the afternoon, the city’s options become more limited.

“If there’s a rink in a shaded area, we might be able to get on (an) additional flood in the day, but what we’re seeing right now is those north sides of the rinks are getting the most sun exposure. So, we could put a flood down here in the morning but by noon it’s warming up quite rapidly,” he said.

“Because there’s no snow to help insulate and pack around the boards to prevent it from leaking, (in some cases) the water’s just running away from that north side of that rink. The other part of the rink.”

He said the other part of the rink is doing well, but an issue arises in a particular area where the sun and warm temperatures seem to culminate.

Morgan said the city’s website gives readers an idea of what rinks are open and what rinks are in progress.

Morgan said the weather was too warm last week for the city to officially deem several rinks open despite knowing that members of the public still use them. The city is projecting more rinks to open this week, however.

“When we’re saying it’s in progress, we’re still building ice. It’s not where we feel it’s ready but we know the public is using them,” he said.

According to a report that Morgan received Wednesday morning, there was a lot of activity at various rinks over the holiday break. Morgan also said the city has received many requests and inquiries about the rinks.

“There is a very high interest (in) outdoor rinks because it’s a recreational opportunity and it’s free. It’s free and open to the public,” Morgan said.

Morgan said flooding happens in the morning every day of the week.

“We are looking at the weather forecast regularly and if we’re starting to see positive, above-zero temperatures in the day we stop flooding but the majority of our flooding is from 6 a.m. to about 11 a.m. based on the weather that we’re having (that day),” Morgan said.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Roman Hayter