Tsuut’ina Nation vows to oppose Springbank dam
NDP defends flood mitigation plan, denies claim of lack of consultation
Members of the Tsuut’ina Nation are accusing the province of failing to consult them on the Springbank dry dam project, fearing it will pollute groundwater and put reserve lands at risk in the event of another flood.
Leaders with the First Nation southwest of Calgary say they will consider all legal avenues in a fight against the $200-million proposal, put forward by the NDP government as the best way to divert rising waters similar to Alberta’s historic 2013 flood.
“This is a diversion that is right on our border, just a few metres away, of course we are concerned and we have never been consulted,” said Tsuut’ina spokesman Kevin Littlelight.
“This thing has gotten a lot bigger than we would like and there’s no question it’s going to have an impact on us.
“We’re exploring all our legal options and we are standing by the document the NDP has sanctioned — the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.”
After years of debate and controversy since southern Alberta suffered more than $5 billion in infrastructure damage in the 2013 flood, the NDP has decided to reduce risk along the Elbow River through the Springbank project. A 2,400-hectare dry reservoir would be built near Bragg Creek to capture water, as well as a dryland berm adjacent to the river.
But work cannot begin until a series of provincial and federal environmental assessments are complete.
Brian Mason, NDP Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, said Wednesday the Springbank project is the best alternative to protect Calgary and other downstream communities from a repeat of 2013’s devastation.
He added that the province has, in fact, consulted with Tsuut’ina from Day 1 and continues to make them part of the process.
“We’ve looked at all of the alternatives and evaluated them carefully, and based on expert advice we decided on Springbank.
“We have been consulting with the Tsuut’ina . . . we’ve conducted a number of site visits with them and we’ve provided funding to them so they can participate fully in the environmental impact assessment.”
But newly elected Tsuut’ina Chief Lee Crowchild says the nation only learned about the possibility of the dam’s negative impacts from “third party sources,” such as town hall meetings.
“Tsuut’ina has learned from third-party sources that this proposal will directly impact Tsuut’ina. That information did not come from the Government of Alberta,” Crowchild said in a prepared statement.
“A diversion gate is less than half a kilometre from Tsuut’ina. Groundwater effects from mass water storage are unknown but could impact Tsuut’ina. Water backing up during a flood diversion would directly impact Tsuut’ina, especially in the Redwood Meadows community.”
Band leaders worry that in the event of a major flood, groundwater and springs that feed their drinking water could become contaminated. They also worry a swelling, diverted river could still flood parts of Redwood Meadows.
Crowchild added that Tsuut’ina would have recourse to fight the dam under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which requires governments to secure the “free, prior and informed consent” of indigenous peoples prior to taking actions that affect their lands.
“The NDP have not upheld their commitment to the UN Declaration on the proposed Springbank Dam,” Crowchild said.
But Mason said he believes part of the reason the Tsuut’ina has suddenly come out against a project that has long been in the making is because they are working alongside Springbank landowners.
“They’ve been working with landowners who have been opposed to this project for a while, so it’s not a huge surprise,” Mason said. “We’ll continue to go ahead, absolutely, and have officials look carefully at the communique they’ve issued today to see if anything has changed. But proper consultation has been ongoing.”
Mayor Naheed Nenshi issued a statement Wednesday strongly supporting the project.
“The Springbank Dry Dam is among the most critical elements of the flood mitigation infrastructure needed to protect Calgary,” Nenshi said. “While we are working on many flood mitigation projects within city limits, the dry dam remains the most important part of the solution. Calgarians have been very patient as both the provincial and federal governments conduct environmental reviews. I am confident that the provincial government and the Tsuut’ina Nation can work together to move forward on protecting all downstream communities from future flooding.”
Lee Drewry, a Springbank landowner and member of dontdamnspringbank.org, is strongly against the dry dam solution, saying it will expropriate homes and heritage ranches, and cause irreparable damage to the community, including his own cattle ranch.
“I’m worried, very worried. Our land has been in my wife’s family for 130 years.”