Rocky View drops opposition to dry dam process

Rocky View County council has withdrawn its opposition to much of the process that could lead to green-lighting the controversial Springbank dry dam project.

In a 6-3 vote earlier this month, council members voted to remove its objection to federal and provincial environmental reviews still facing the project, which is meant to prevent the kind of flooding that devastated parts of Calgary in June 2013.

While council members say that doesn’t remove its concerns and even opposition to the massive Elbow River diversion project, one of them said it signals a realization of the dam’s inevitability.

“Do you go down fighting on principle to the bitter end or do you have the ability to make the best of a bad situation?” said Coun. Kevin Hanson, who voted in favour of the move. “It doesn’t mean we stop all opposition, we can continue to talk to Alberta Transportation and mitigate concerns.”

The agreement means county lawmakers “have withdrawn their objections to the project,” Brooklyn Elhard, press secretary for Transportation Minister Ric Mcivor, said in a statement.

“(It) brings us another meaningful step closer to providing flood mitigation for Calgary and southern Alberta. This is in contrast with the lack of leadership from the previous NDP government, who failed to make any significant progress when they were in charge of the project.”

In December 2018, county council voted to oppose the proposed dry dam, known as SR-1, unless other options were fully analyzed.

The latest decision follows a proposal from the province to compensate the county for loss of developable land, money that could be spent on cultural or recreational amenities, though details remain under wraps, he said.

It also comes just as the province earmarked $196.3 million to push the initiative ahead over the next three years. And it’s in the wake of the neighbouring Tsuut’ina First Nation in April ending its opposition to the project in exchange for $32 million for flood mitigation, restoration and prevention.

“I don’t think (council’s decision) is going to hurt the project … the province may have eliminated some of the official opposition, from the Tsuut’ina and the county for sure,” said Rocky View Reeve Greg Boehlke, who voted against withdrawing that opposition.

“But I don’t think the fight’s over, it’s not out of the woods yet.”

Both he and Hanson expressed continued concern over the dry dam’s environmental footprint, particularly the potential for windblown silt left behind after the dam fills up with diverted water and then releases it back into the Elbow River. And they continue to question why the province didn’t opt for a dam site upstream at Mclean Creek, which could also be used as a wet reservoir to counter future drought.

“You basically sterilize 3,500 acres of land and it’s extremely expensive,” said Boehlke.

Mclean Creek “could have been a full-time reservoir for drought and flood protection.”

The cost of the dry dam, which could contain 78 million cubic metres of water — to be located east of Highway 22 and north of Highway 8 — has gone from $200 million to $432 million over the past six years.

Both Boehlke and Hanson noted the project still needs to be cleared by environmental review.

Last July, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency said it needed more information after the Alberta government submitted an 8,000-page document on the project.

Proponents of the Springbank proposal say repeated studies have shown it’s the most environmentally responsible and cost-efficient plan, while the City of Calgary views it as essential to its ability to ward off flooding.