It’s June 21st again. The longest day of the year. The summer solstice. And the anniversary of the largest natural disaster to impact Calgary and southern Alberta – the 2013 floods.
Eight years later and we carry on. On the Elbow River, there is a light starting to show at the end of the tunnel. It’s a small pinprick of light – and we still have a journey ahead of us, but 2021 has certainly brought some hope we’re nearing the end. This spring, the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) held a public hearing about the province’s application to build the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir (SR1). Hundreds of you contributed letters in support of SR1 that were incorporated into the written submission of CRCAG – an impactful piece of evidence as to the impacts of the 2013 flood, which SR1 will avoid or mitigate. Thank all of you again for your heartfelt letters – they were tremendously moving. The NRCB is presently deliberating on their decision, which we expect to be delivered by the end of July.
Earlier in 2021, the federal government provided a draft approval (with conditions) of SR1 under the Impact Assessment Act review – with a final approval anticipated in the coming weeks.
As we approach July – we are optimistic that we’ll hear positive news on both the provincial and federal fronts, which will be two major milestones accomplished in this long journey to approving and constructing SR1.
As for the Bow River … it’s even more of a challenge. Partially solved by the province’s agreement with TransAlta to use the Ghost Reservoir, but likely requiring one or more additional upstream infrastructure measures to fully protect Calgary from Bow River flooding.
The Bow River options conceptual assessment report was released publicly in fall 2020, along with confirmation that AEP was continuing with the Bow River Reservoir Options project (BRRO). At the end of 2020, a contract was awarded to a vendor for the feasibility study – which kicked off in early 2021. We understand the province is on track to move to an engineering and approval phase in 2023, with construction being completed several years later. While progress continues – it certainly seems slow – considering we’re eight years out from the 2013 flood already, underscoring the importance of our organization to keep the political will alive to ensure this work advances to completion.
CRCAG – meaning all our volunteers and our members who have stepped up every time we’ve needed their support – has much to be proud of in 2021. We came together as a united and strong group to provide a voice for those impacted by the 2013 floods to the NRCB. Now we wait on the outcome …
If you’d like to get in touch with us, reach out to info@crcactiongroup.com.
Regards,
Your CRCAG Board