Calgary more flood-resilient than in 2013, but remains vulnerable on Bow River – Calgary | 24CA News
Ten years after the Bow and Elbow rivers spilled their banks, inflicting devastating impacts to Calgary, town is midway to being totally protected in opposition to a flood of comparable scale.
However, questions stay over protections on the Bow River.
Calgary metropolis officers stated town is 55-per cent extra resilient to floods than it was in 2013, and that quantity will bounce to 70 per cent when the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir on the Elbow River, and the Sunnyside flood barrier on the Bow River, are accomplished in 2025.
On Tuesday, metropolis representatives together with the Calgary Emergency Management Agency held a press convention to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 floods, and spotlight the flood mitigation work that was accomplished since.
“We were not defined by what happened to us, rather we have been defined by our collaborative response and immediate actions towards mitigation,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek stated.
$1 billion has been spent between all three ranges of presidency on flood mitigation within the metropolis.
Part of that work consists of upgrades to the gates on the Glenmore Dam to extend the capability of the reservoir; mixed with the Springbank reservoir it’s anticipated to largely quell issues of a large-scale flood on the Elbow River sooner or later.
It’s a reduction for advocates like Brenda Leeds Binder, co-president of the Calgary River Communities Action Group, who famous there may be extra work to be carried out.
“It’s amazing it’s taken this long; the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir won’t be fully operational for two more years,” Leeds Binder instructed Global News. “But there’s also the Bow River to consider.”
The lack of flood mitigation on the Bow River may very well be seen final yr, when town was compelled to constructed an 88-metre berm throughout Memorial Drive, resulting from issues of heavy rainfall within the forecast.
Luckily, the rain turned to snow within the mountains and the river didn’t rise above its banks.
The metropolis has accomplished a number of smaller-scale tasks alongside the Bow River like drainage enhancements, gravel bars, financial institution stability work and flood limitations.
After a number of years of planning, the Sunnyside Flood Barrier between 14 Street NW and Centre Street is about to start development later this yr, and it couldn’t come quickly sufficient, in keeping with residents in Sunnyside.
“What we want as a community is a good flood barrier, and what we need to avoid is the temptation… Good heavens, you could spend five years working towards perfection,” stated Charlie Lund, flood committee chair with the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association.
“We don’t feel that there is that luxury of time at this point 10 years in.”
However, it’s been decided that constructing one other dam upstream on the Bow River is one of the simplest ways to get the remainder of the way in which on flood resilience in Calgary.
The province is enterprise a feasibility examine exploring choices to construct one other reservoir upstream on the Bow River, narrowing the scope to 3 doable choices.
The first possibility is a brand new reservoir between Seebe and Morley on Stoney Nakoda Nation lands, the second is an growth to the Ghost Reservoir and Dam, and the third is a brand new reservoir between Cochrane and the Bearspaw Dam.
“This 30 per cent remaining of flood damage exposure is directly tied to mitigation along the Bow River,” Gondek stated.
“That’s why we continue to advocate for the funding to move the provincial Bow River Reservoir Option Study to phase three, which would proceed with the detailed design and regulatory approvals for the preferred reservoir option.”
The examine is predicted to be full later this yr, and advocates hope work can progress shortly given the timelines for a fancy venture.
“What I would like to see is a decision to be made and for there to be some urgency around accelerating execution on the project,” Leeds Binder stated. “Ideally sooner than 2034, which is very far out.”
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