June 21, 2010
Medicine Hat –The flood that has devastated parts of Medicine Hat has left Medalta Potteries largely untouched.
On Saturday, June 19, water from Seven Persons and Ross Creeks spilled their banks and moved towards Medalta Potteries. There was no damage to the site, although a small amount of water entered the South East portion of the building briefly, before receding. Services at the site have not been interrupted and Medalta Potteries continues to be open to visitors.
Barry Finkelman, Executive Director of the Historic Clay District, commented on the situation, saying “after the flood scare of 2005, we created a berm around Medalta, which reduced potential damage to the site. The water has receded to the point that we don’t anticipate any further flooding to our property.
“We have received numerous calls from concerned people across the country and we are pleased to say that we escaped the worst of the damage. We appreciate everyone’s concern and ask everyone to do what they can for those in the worst affected areas.”
The Historic Clay District is one of eight tourism attractors in the Canadian Badlands, featured in AMA’s “Alberta 100 Journeys” and is Western Canada’s largest National Historic Site. The museum – in the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site – provides visitors a unique opportunity to visit a restored 1912 pottery factory, which once produced three-quarters of all stoneware in Canada. It is operated under the stewardship of the Friends of Medalta Society.
For more information, interviews or visuals,contact:
Quentin Randall
403.529.1070
quentin@medalta.org
www.medalta.org
