In a decision made Tuesday, Rocky View County council voted to formally request that the Province reconsider the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project (SR1).
In a 16-page report presented to council on December 11, Rocky View County administration outlined a number of qualms with the project including lack of benefit for the county, incomplete technical evaluation of other upstream mitigation options, inadequate stakeholder engagement, and failure to address drought concerns.
Disappointingly, Reeve Greg Boehlke of Rocky View County made some comments on the CBC Eyeopener Tuesday morning that only serve to further spread misinformation on the Springbank Project; such as this ill-informed quote below.
We oppose it simply to represent our landowners and, when we’re spending this kind of tax-payers dollars in a province that’s already hugely in debt, I think it should be done to get the best bang for the buck. There are a lot of things, possibilities, that are just being overlooked to put in this system that is not going to offer much more than protection for about ten homes downstream of this diversion. -Reeve Greg Boehlke
“The SR1 project is vital to protecting the economic engine of the province and the 1.2 million Calgarians and other Albertans living downstream, and would require the GoA acquire land from as many as 22 landowners in Springbank. SR1 is one piece of the flood mitigation system for Elbow River communities, including projects for Bragg Creek and Redwood Meadows for Tsuut’ina Nation.
The project is in regulatory review, which includes the opportunity for stakeholders, the public and municipalities to address their concerns and support with both the federal and provincial regulators. Any change in strategy at this point would mean starting over in a process that has already taken five years, further risking the health, safety and economic well-being of Albertans.” – Brian Mason, Minister of Transportation
Additional SR1 vs MC1 comparison expected in Province’s response to CEAA information request
- updated comparison of MC1 and SR1, including costs/benefits
- additional study of the potential environmental impacts of MC1, specifically to Indigenous stakeholders; and
- an evaluation of whether the Tri-River Joint Reservoir of Alberta and the Micro-Watershed Impounding Concept are feasible alternative means of meeting the Project’s purpose.
It is our hope that the information provided in this information request can finally put to rest the SR1 vs MC1 debate once and for all.
We recently posted a quick link guide to the volumes of material long in the public domain that addresses many of the questions raised: Links to key Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) documents.
Media coverage:
- 660 News – Elbow river residents frustrated by threat of more delays to Springbank project (response from CRCAG Co-President, Brenda Leeds Binder),
- 660 News – Mayor irritated with Rocky View delay on flood mitigation
- Calgary Herald – Rocky View council petition province to scrap Springbank flood mitigation plan
- CBC News – Calgary mayor furious county may ask Alberta to halt ‘critical’ Springbank flood mitigation
- CBC Eyeopener – Eyeopener podcast December 11 2018 – Springbank dam project is still on hold
- CTV News – Rocky View County councillors vote to oppose controversial Springbank reservoir project
Regards,
Your CRCAG Board