A handful of provincial government representatives visited the Hamlet of Bragg Creek March 4, armed with information about a mitigation project planned for the Elbow River.
“People are anxious about flooding this spring — you can feel it,” said Tom Neufeld, a spokesperson for the Alberta Government’s Flood Recovery Task Force.
The hamlet falls downstream of one of the province’s three major mitigation projects — the proposed Elbow River dry dam. If finalized, the dam is anticipated to be located upstream from Bragg Creek, in the area near Elbow Falls.
“Essentially, it’s a holding tank that would control the flow of the river downstream,” said Neufeld. “That would limit the flow through Bragg Creek and into the Glenmore Reservoir (in Calgary).”
The proposed dry dam is currently in the environmental screening and community consultation phase. It is anticipated that final decisions regarding the Elbow River dry dam will be made within the next few months.
Preliminary designs of the dry dam outline a structure that stands about 40 metres tall, with a storage capacity of about 44 million cubic metres.
“Anytime we can manage water upstream, it makes it easier downstream,” said Kyle Fawcett, associate minister of recovery and reconstruction for southwestern Alberta. “At this point, we’re in the process of reviewing the environmental impacts — we need to make sure this is the best option.”
Rocky View County councillor Liz Breakey said she was glad to see steps taken in terms of mitigation, but questioned whether a dry dam is the best option. She mentioned a diversion of the Elbow River upstream from Bragg Creek, through Priddis Creek Valley, flowing into Fish Creek and into the Bow River.
This particular diversion was explored by Kim Sturgess of Alberta WaterSMART during a study, which reviewed historical diversion and detention sites on the Elbow.
Fawcett said the province is dedicated to making the best decisions possible in regards to mitigation options.
“We can’t rush into failure,” he said. “We have to do things right. We can’t do them poorly.”
While Albertans wait for mitigation efforts to be completed, Fawcett said the government is providing temporary support for residents: re-stocking materials such as sandbags, and initiating erosion control programs.
Meanwhile, residents are waiting to see what the spring will hold. Susan Biddle, of Eagle Engineering, said she’s been taking precautions to guard against potential flooding this year. Like many other session attendees, she said she’s aware that spring melt and flood season is only months away.
Andy Lamb, flood recovery manager, was guiding attendees through the snowmelt and river forecasting system operated by experts from Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.
“Last year, we predicted the flooding, but it was difficult to predict the magnitude,” he said. “A lot of work has gone into looking at what went on last year.
“It was a lesson learned: we can do better.”
With the damaged and washed away gauges and other forecasting tools replaced, Lamb said Albertans could look forward to a better forecasting system and receiving better, accurate information.
However, he added that snowfall in the mountains in March and April would help forecasters to determine what to expect this spring.
The other two major proposed mitigation focuses include a diversion of the Highwood River around High River, and an underground diversion that would cart water from the Glenmore Reservoir — which is fed by the Elbow River — through a giant tunnel beneath Calgary’s 58th Avenue and into the Bow River.
Like the dry dam, these two projects are being examined and still need to undergo environmental screening and multiple consultations.
