If you were thinking of a leisurely float down the river, you may want to hold off for now.

Fire Prevention Officer, Jeff Avery, says it is probably best to wait a month for water levels to recede. "It's normally when all the runoff is done and the river is lower than this. It's just way too high right now and the water is really grungy; you can't see a lot of the trees floating down the river and the water is really fast. We are definitely asking people to stay off the river right now; wait another month when all the runoff is done and they're regulating the flows."

Once water levels have significantly dropped and you are ready to head out for a day of fun in the sun, Avery, says keep in mind some safety tips. "Make sure when you're on the river you're in an approved raft, we don't want rubber dinghies going down the river, no alcohol, make sure everyone's wearing a life jacket. We support everyone having fun but its got to be done in the right way."

There are no regulations on age when it comes to floating nor how competent of a swimmer you are; Avery, states safety begins with all rafters wearing a life jacket.

"It is different swimming in a swimming pool than it is in the river just because the current is sometimes so quick you can be a good swimmer but don't know how to read the river or how to swim in rapids, so if you fall out of a boat you may definitely have a hard time swimming to shore."

The other piece of advice Avery has is to let someone on dry land know your plans. "If you're starting at the dam and wanting to come to the first bridge in Cochrane let somebody know it may take you two, three hours, let people know you should be back in Cochrane at a certain time. If you are a couple hours late, definitely time to check in or give the fire department a call and say someone was supposed to check in at this time and I haven't heard from them."

Avery says they respond to a few calls every summer from flipped, empty rafts to stranded rafters. " Better to be safe than sorry definitely if you see anything call 911 and we'll go take a look."