Government must prepare for both flooding, drought
Glenbow East isn’t the right plan,
Since 2011, more than 5,000 donors, volunteers, board members and supporters have contributed hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours and more than $20 million in private funding toward the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation's programming and trails.
Alberta's signature provincial park didn't happen by accident. It remains a once-in-a-lifetime, if ever, accomplishment.
For the Harvie family, there was never any doubt. Their pristine land from Calgary to Cochrane — in all its natural riparian and native fescue grassland wonder — would be protected for the benefit of all. In former premier Ralph Klein and the people of Alberta, they found a partner they knew they could trust.
But it was a hard sell for the provincial government. The premier faced significant internal political opposition from a reluctant northern caucus, asking: “Do Calgarians really need another K-country or Fish Creek Park?” Klein's answer was yes.
As Albertans do, the two parties shook hands and made a promise: Glenbow Ranch would be protected for the benefit of every Albertan to enjoy, now and forever. Our foundation was established. The Harvies and the province vowed to preserve this precious ecological legacy, delivering a fate far better than what would invariably have occurred with urban encroachment.
And the best is now even better. Thanks to Richard and Lois Haskayne's generosity driving $16 million in private and public investment, their vision for a neighbouring park came to life just seven months ago. As Calgarians do, they shook hands with the mayor and made a promise: Haskayne Legacy Park would be protected for the benefit of every Calgarian to enjoy, now and forever.
But forever didn't last long.
Today, the government is considering options
Show us that, in Alberta, a handshake still means something. Take the long view once more.
to protect Calgary from future flooding, including three potential Bow River reservoirs. One option, Glenbow East, ($992 million) would catastrophically flood both these parks, rushing floodwater into Cochrane to protect Calgary. Option 2 would replace the century-old Ghost Reservoir dam with a modern structure downstream ($917 million), boosting the existing water capacity.
Politicians will weigh many different engineering, cost, economic, social and environmental factors. Glenbow would involve a complicated relocation of the main CPKC rail line up the park's escarpment, requiring a larger land contingency. Glenbow affects 10 times more homeowners, adding significant timeline and regulatory uncertainty. Glenbow's electricity generation is about half that of Ghost.
The central issue is water. We acknowledge that the added capacity of the Ghost option is only three-quarters that of Glenbow. We concede that Glenbow can hold about 30,000 cubic metres more in the event of a flood. However, a Glenbow dam will flood Cochrane for the sake of Calgary; Ghost protects both. And the problem to be solved is no longer just flooding; it's also drought.
Glenbow's “bathtub” is extremely wide and long, spanning more than 15 kilometres of river channel. This warm and shallow reservoir is much less effective during drought, due to greater evaporation. In contrast, the added Ghost capacity has one-fourth the surface area, affecting only three kilometres of narrow and deep river channel. This makes Ghost's water colder and much less prone to evaporation. And we repeat: Ghost would help, rather than flood, Alberta's fastest-growing municipality.
We call upon our government today to remember the promises made with the creation of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and Haskayne Legacy Park. Show us that, in Alberta, a handshake still means something.
Take the long view once more. Solve for both Cochrane and Calgary — and not Calgary alone. Solve for both flooding and drought — and not flooding alone.
Georg Paffrath is board chair, and Jeromy Farkas is CEO of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation.