Rocky View asks for dam plan to be reconsidered
Mayor calls move to look at options for flood mitigation ‘beyond irresponsible’
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi accused Rocky View County council of playing “political games” by asking the province to reconsider the planned Springbank dry reservoir flood-mitigation project.
The fate of the planned SR1 project is once again in question after Rocky View council voted on Tuesday to officially request that the province take a second look at alternate projects that won’t put effects “solely on the county.”
In a report to council this week, county administrators said they recognize the need for infrastructure to protect against disasters like the 2013 flood. But concerns over land acquisitions and possible environmental effects led county council to ask the NDP to reconsider flood-mitigation alternatives, including tabled diversion projects near McLean Creek or Priddis.
The report said county property owners and the neighbouring Tsuut’ina Nation would carry the burden for a Springbank project that would be “primarily for the benefit of Calgary.”
“We’re not slowing this process down, but we are, after sufficient time and analysis, making our thoughts known on the process,” said Richard Barss, who is with the county. “We just don’t think that the options have been properly evaluated.”
Nenshi said there has already been “extensive community and public consultation,” as well as “multiple scientific studies by outside experts that show that the Springbank dry dam is the right choice.” Nenshi said he was irritated by the move and called the county’s decision “beyond irresponsible,” adding further project delays will put the entire region at risk should there be another disaster like the 2013 flood.
“Let’s not forget that five people died in 2013. Let’s not forget that there was $6 billion of damage to the city of Calgary. And let’s not forget that every single person in this region requires a healthy city of Calgary economy and a healthy downtown Calgary for their own livelihoods,” Nenshi said.
The mayor also called on the leaders of Alberta’s political parties to commit their support to the project as a provincial election looms next year.
In the Room for the River report, the county says the Springbank project puts additional flood risks “solely on the County and specifically the residents of Springbank with no mitigating benefits.”
The report says there hasn’t been enough consultation with the Tsuut’ina Nation, would require some residents to sell parts of their land for the project and would result in “the loss of Camp Kiwanis, a summer camp for disadvantaged children.”
Chief Lee Crowchild of the Tsuut’ina Nation thanked county council for raising the nation’s “needs and interests frequently and with respect.”
“While flood mitigation for Calgary is absolutely necessary, there are alternatives. And those should be carefully explored before we build,” Crowchild said.
Barss said the county’s decision isn’t meant to “pit it as Rocky View residents against Calgary residents,” but rather highlights the need for “a comprehensive approach” to flood mitigation from the province.
Construction on the $432-million reservoir is set to start in 2019. It would have a storage capacity of more than 70 million cubic litres when the Elbow River’s flow reaches 160 cubic metres per second.
Tony Morris, with the Calgary River Communities Action Group, called the county’s decision “disappointing.”.
Transportation Minister Brian Mason called the reservoir — which is already under regulatory review and has seen substantial delays — “vital to protecting the economic engine of the province,” adding only 22 landowners in the region would be affected by the Springbank project.