STRANDED IN DRY DOCK
The S.S. moyie, a Heritage Park treasure and staple of the glenmore reservoir every summer, could be left high and dry this year to allow for flood-mitigation work on the glenmore dam that is intended to prevent a repeat of the devastating 2013 deluge.
Heritage Park’s venerable paddlewheeler could be beached this year to allow for flood-mitigation work on the aging Glenmore Dam, says a spokeswoman with the historic venue.
Work on the dam will require lowering the Glenmore Reservoir’s water level, possibly putting the SS Moyie out of sync with its dock, said Heritage Park’s Barb Munro.
“If the water level is too low, we won’t be able to have the Moyie in the water because the dock will be too high,” she said of the boat that’s plied the reservoir’s waters since the mid-1960s.
“We’re aware we might not have the Moyie in the water, but we have a lot of other great things in the park.”
If the SS Moyie is sidelined, it’ll cut into Thursday evening rentals and captain’s cruises.
The attraction’s website says those captain’s cruises won’t be available this summer due to city work on the Glenmore Reservoir, but that “we hope to see you in 2019.”
Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said a reduction of the reservoir’s water level will almost certainly be required to accommodate work that will complement the flood-mitigating capabilities of a proposed dry dam at Springbank.
The projects were prompted by the devastating flooding that struck southern Alberta in June 2013.
“Seventy per cent of the water will be captured by SR1 (at Springbank), the other 30 per cent will be held back by the new configuration of the Glenmore Dam ... it’ll be a significant increase in the dam,” said Carra.
The 85-year-old dam controls the reservoir fed by the Elbow River, which supplies drinking water for south Calgary.
Carra said the $82-million project will be undertaken with a “historically and architecturally sensitive treatment.”
A city official said meetings with stakeholders will be held in midMarch to provide more details about the work that will go beyond flood control.
“These improvements will not only extend the life of the dam but will help manage our drinking water supply, and give us the ability to better control low and high river flows,” said a statement released by the city.
The work is expected to be completed in late 2019.
Heritage Park’s Munro said there could be a silver lining for the SS Moyie if the water level dips significantly.
“We’d be able to do some repair work on it, get it spick and span,” said Munro.
“Whatever they need to do to prevent another 2013, we’re on board with that.”
The dry reservoir planned for the Springbank area is opposed by some area residents, including the neighbouring Tsuut’ina First Nation, who say they fear environmental damage.
They’ve argued a site upriver at McLean Creek is better suited for the project, but the province insists studies have shown otherwise.
Last November, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency deemed a provincial review deficient, delaying the project’s start date.
These improvements will not only extend the life of the dam but will help manage our drinking water supply.