Premier Jim Prentice announced on Sept. 26 at the Bow Habitat Station in Calgary that plans are in place for two new flood mitigation projects to protect High River and Calgary, which will include a dry reservoir to be developed in the Springbank area.
The reservoir will be used to accommodate flood waters from the Elbow River, and aims to protect the City of Calgary from future flooding, Prentice said.
“There have been a number of different options that have been talked about for different flood mitigation efforts, and we are trying to move forward on ones that make sense,” said Parker Hogan, press secretary with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.
The Springbank reservoir would be the most cost-effective and “most environmentally defensible solution” in the immediate term, Prentice said at the news conference on Sept. 26.
“We are now looking at an innovative approach that is being used in the Netherlands called ‘Room for the River’, which basically allows for controlled overland flooding in some areas under certain circumstances,” said Hogan.
“Certainly there will still need to be some infrastructure developed, and there will also need to be, as we move forward with this, the need to look at what areas are affected and impacted so we can provide appropriate and adequate levels of protection for existing buildings, farms, houses, etc. that are in that area.”
According to Hogan, landowners and residents in the area would be “given enough time to make arrangements,” for example, relocating livestock.
While he said the project is still in its early stages, this is the plan that the government will be moving forward on.
“It certainly appears that the premier has made up his mind,” said Rocky View County (RVC) Area Councillor Jerry Arshinoff. “I was hoping, and still am hoping, that there will be some significant public consultations and that RVC council will have a say in it.”
The government had previously considered constructing a dry dam on government owned lands on McLean Creek, which would be located upstream of Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows, Tsuu T’ina, Springbank, and Calgary. Arshinoff said this option would be “more efficient, and more beneficial to a greater number of people.”
“If Springbank was their only option, I wouldn’t be happy about it but at least I could agree,” he said.
“I fully realize the importance of making sure Calgary doesn’t flood, and they have to look at the economics of the situation and do the best they can. I’m not an engineer or a hydrologist, but I don’t quite understand why they would pick Springbank.”
Arshinoff said that until further details are released, he is hesitant to offer an opinion on the plans and how they will affect Springbank residents.
However, he said there would be a “100 per cent impact on the people who live there or close by,” or anyone who regularly uses the Springbank road – which he said will need to be relocated to accommodate the new reservoir.
Bragg Creek Councillor Liz Breakey was not available to comment on the announcement by press time.
At the news conference on Sept. 26, Prentice said the entire Springbank project would cost an estimated $150 to $200 million, and be completed in three years.
However, Hogan said it’s still too early in the process to offer any more specific information.
“We still have consultations to do and environmental impact assessments to do, agreements to sign and so on, so we will be pulling all those pieces together,” said Hogan.
“We are moving our way forward, and that will take some time. But at least at this point, we have clarity on what we are moving forward on.”
Prentice also announced on Sept. 26 that the province would immediately triple the number of Disaster Recovery Program (DRP) staff from six to 18, in an effort to clear outstanding flood relief applications and appeals before the end of 2014.
Of the 10,500 DRP claims the province received as a result of the June 2013 flooding, 8,000 are closed. Currently, 677 files are under appeal, including 120 from Calgary and 338 from High River. No information was available as to how many applications are from Bragg Creek, or the expected time frame for completion.
According to the province, the remaining 2,500 applications will be handled before the end of December.
“Many claims are still outstanding, and many people I know personally, not only have their claims not been settled, but they haven’t even received a response as to whether or not their claim has any validity,” Arshinoff said.
“From the province’s perspective, I know they have a lot of claims and quite a problem trying to deal with this, so if they think they can get it taken care of by New Year’s, I think that’s great.”
