Okotoks residents are reminded to keep safety in mind before going to cool off with a float on the Sheep River.

There are no bylaws in place preventing residents from using rafts and paddle boards on the river, however, the Okotoks Fire Department is warning residents to be cautious.

Ken Thevenot, Okotoks Fire Chief, has a few recommendations for those who do decide to cruise down the river.

"Wear a life jacket, check weather forecasts, do not consume alcohol, have supervision if there are children or swim with a buddy or have a person that's educated as well with you, and have a plan in place to say where your meeting point is going to be in such and such time."

Shorelines pose a safety risk with debris floating onto them and the potential for water levels to change rapidly.

Thevenot says levels were a bit high last month but were still within a normal range.

"Because we had such a warm May we did see some of the snow pack with those water levels increase a little but our levels right now are pretty average, our flows are fairly low. We're monitoring it about everyday and watching weather patterns."

He adds the snow pack is only about 20 per cent of the reason why water levels rise, with a majority of it being due to rain fall.

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