As the Government of Alberta gathers feedback on two upstream reservoir proposals on the Bow River, opposition around one of the options continues to grow.
The Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation held an update Wednesday to discuss its ongoing dialogue with the provincial government over its concerns around impacts to the area.
“It would completely destroy the brand-new Haskayne Legacy Park that opened not even a year ago,” said Jeromy Farkas, former Calgary city councillor and mayoral candidate, and current CEO of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation.
“It would also have an impact on about half of the 3,000 acres at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.”
The latest round of engagement on the site of the future upstream reservoir on April 15, which asks for feedback on two of the three potential options studied by the province.
The first option is the Glenbow East Dam, which would start in the western edge of Calgary, which would require the relocation of the current Canadian Pacific Kansas City Southern rail line and potentially the flooding of a wide array of park space.
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The second option is decommissioning the existing Ghost Dam and relocating it further downstream.
A third option to create a dam near Morley on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation is also being studied, but a provincial spokesperson said the proposal “is not ready for public engagement at this time.”
A 2020 assessment of the potential sites classified the downstream effectiveness of the Glenbow East Dam as “very good,” while the other two options’ effectiveness was listed as “good.”
The report noted that while each of the proposals would have environmental impacts, the most pronounced would be on the wide array of park space near the Glenbow East site.
Farkas told Global News the Glenbow East Dam wouldn’t protect nearby Cochrane in the event of a flood or drought, which is one of the reasons why he is advocating for the Ghost Dam option.
His belief is the relocation of the Ghost Dam would have the least impact to people and area wildlife as its expanding on an existing reservoir.
“It’s relatively narrow but relatively deep, which enables it to hold an equivalent amount of water but also allow for less evaporation to happen,” Farkas added.
The report also estimated the costs for the Glenbow East option at $992 million, followed by the Morley option at $922 million and the Ghost Dam relocation at $917 million.
A spokesperson for the minister of Environment and Parks said public engagement over the course of three years has been “extensive and far-reaching.”
“Engagement conducted from 2021-23 included virtual live sessions, in-person meetings with property owners, online webinars and dozens of meetings with stakeholder groups, including the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation,” Ryan Fournier said in a statement to Global News. “The current public engagement is a follow-up to that important work.”
Fournier noted Minister Rebecca Schulz has directed department officials to extend the current round of engagement another week to May 13.
Jean Woeller, a Calgary resident and president of the Bowness Responsible Flood Mitigation Society, said another upstream reservoir on the Bow River is necessary for both flood and drought protection.
“If we can get more reservoir capacity upstream of Calgary, it benefits us in Bowness from flooding from groundwater and overland by slowing the rate of the river flow, it also offers more water for irrigation,” she told Global News.
A decision from the province is expected sometime next year, however, an upstream reservoir isn’t likely to be operational before 2034, according to the latest provincial timelines.
Woeller said she hopes the province picks the proposal with the best capacity to slow the river flow rate.
“We’re not tied to one particular option,” she said. “But, we’re looking for protection.”
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