After a very busy winter 2020 and spring 2021 preparing for and participating in the last regulatory hurdle of the NRCB hearing, and following a summer of positive announcements regarding the completion of the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir, we’ve realized that this November marked an important milestone in its own right. 

CRCAG was borne 100 months ago (as of November 2021), just weeks after the 2013 floods. We want to use this milestone to thank you — our Members — for your continued commitment these many years.

With your focused engagement, tireless support, incredible financial assistance and so much more, we’ve climbed many hills together, some small and many large. Together we’ve overcome challenges most of us at the outset knew little about.

This journey has been much longer and more daunting than any of us imagined 100 months ago, with so many hands needed to accomplish our goals.

This milestone also serves as a grim reminder of the monumental effort ahead to achieve upstream mitigation on the Bow River.

Bow River reservoir options project timeline
Source: Alberta Environment and Parks

When the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir was initially selected as the Elbow River option to proceed with, it was estimated that construction would begin in Q2 2019. Construction is now scheduled to begin in Q2 2022.

We state this not to shame any stakeholder or proponent of the project, but to highlight the very real challenges and potential delays these large infrastructure projects are subject to, and the resolve required to complete them.

Your CRCAG Board thanks you for not giving up the effort on wrestling the many obstacles we’ve encountered to date, to comprehensively protect all of our lives, livelihoods and properties, for generations to come.

Lastly, there are so many things in all our lives to celebrate through the rolling calendar year despite the challenges thrown our way—the love and support of family, friends, and community most important among them. We, the many volunteers of CRCAG, send you our warmest wishes for the coming year!

Onward,

Your CRCAG Board