Dear editor:
High water levels at Cochrane Lake have been an ongoing source of concern this year. Many views have been expressed regarding what is being done to assist residents.
I would like to offer some clarity regarding my department’s commitment to helping resolve this issue.
I recognize the anxiety and frustration that homeowners around the lake are feeling. Environment and Sustainable Resources’ (ESRD) staff share this sense of urgency and have gone beyond their usual responsibilities to help lower water levels as quickly as possible.
There is no doubt that this is a difficult situation, further complicated by the fact that the responsible party, the developer, is insolvent and unable to meet the terms of the Water Management Order and return the water levels to the established table of 1,281 meters.
Recognizing the challenge facing homeowners, ESRD began pumping operations from Cochrane Lake since 2012. That same year, ESRD provided Rocky View County with emergency funds to cover the design, construction and completion of the septic system modifications after the system had been damaged as a result of lake flooding. In 2013, following the June flood, ESRD in conjunction with the county engaged in further pumping to alleviate the effects of the flood.
In May of this year, I approved an additional plan to divert excess water from the lake into the Bow River. This location was selected as the increase in water posed little risk to the basin’s ecosystem. Challenges with other infrastructure in the area have delayed us in moving forward with this plan at this time; however, we continue to work towards it.
Currently, we are operating two pumps, one to Horse Creek and one to Big Hill Creek, as an interim measure to remove water from the lake so as to lessen some immediate threat from the homeowners in the community. A third pump, to Big Hill Creek has recently been approved and will begin operation shortly. While water levels in Cochrane Lake are slowly receding, this is not to be considered a long-term solution.
A long-term management and mitigation strategy needs to be established. To be clear, the responsibility for such plans lies with the municipality that approved the development. Provincial grant funding exists for flooding mitigation projects, and ESRD is working with Rocky View County to help them access these resources.
Rocky View County has recently submitted a mitigation plan for Cochrane Lake. I’ve asked my department to review the plan as quickly as possible so we can move forward on addressing the issues at Cochrane Lake.
We recognize the challenges that the lake flooding poses for residents of the area. While residents may perceive that little is being done to assist them, nothing is further from the truth. We have been working to assist you – directly and behind the scenes in many cases – and we will continue to do so because it is the right thing to do for our fellow Albertans.
Robin Campbell, minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
