An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) project is now underway, despite continued opposition from area residents.
The plan to move forward with the EIA was announced in October 2015 by the NDP government, which had previously promised to explore alternative options.
The proposed $263 million dry reservoir would divert excess water from the Elbow River in the event of a flood like the area experienced in 2013, which caused $6 billion in damage.
However, landowner Lee Drewry said the SR1 project would make the beautiful countryside west of Calgary – including his property – a “wasteland.”
“We are very opposed to this project, and we will continue to oppose it,” said Drewry, who has been voicing his opposition with the DontDamnSpringbank group since the project was announced in 2014.
“By agreeing to allow the government access to do the (EIA) on our property doesn’t mean in any way that we agree with this plan.”
According to Aileen Machell, press secretary to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Brian Mason, the EIA is a four-season study which will be completed in the spring of 2017.
She said the assessment will have a “relatively minor” impact on area residents, and will provide necessary information to determine the environmental impact of the project.
Drewry said he has given the Province permission to proceed with the assessment on his land and hopes the EIA will bring forward evidence that may change the government’s decision to move forward with the SR1 project.
While the Province has previously indicated a dam on McLean Creek would come with “environmental concerns,” Drewry said he anticipates the EIA will likely uncover the same concerns in the Springbank area.
“Government experts have told me face-to-face that there is nothing at McLean Creek that they couldn’t mitigate if they built the project correctly, so it seems to me that they just picked the wrong project,” Drewry said.
“The sooner they change direction, the more they will save Albertans – both time and money.”
He added a dam located further upstream on McLean Creek would also provide flood mitigation for the communities of Bragg Creek and Redwood Meadows, which were hit hard in 2013 and would not benefit from a reservoir in Springbank.
Currently, the Province has allocated funding to construct dikes along the Elbow River.
According to Drewry, the McLean Creek option would also not require any additional land acquisition, as the land is already owned by the government.
“There’s no reason to be taking land from other Albertans when the government already owns land in an area that could be developed into something more than just a dam – in that corridor, the Province could do more creative things with public education to create something of lasting value,” Drewry said.
“But there are no redeeming qualities to the Springbank project.”
The government will continue to engage stakeholders and provide updates as the EIA progresses, Machell said. She added, following the EIA process, a regulatory review will ensure the construction will have minimal impact on the environment.
