The province will take over operation of the Ghost Reservoir to help mitigate flood and drought risks along the Bow River.
TransAlta will transfer authority to the Government of Alberta as part of a five-year agreement that will see the government control water levels in the reservoir between May 16 and July 7 each year. The province will also have control of three other Kananaskis-area reservoirs year-round to supplement flows on the Bow River during dry periods, or provide additional flood storage.
“As part of the agreement, the way that it actually works is that TransAlta will be turning control of the dam structure over to Alberta Environment and Parks from the middle of May to the first week in July,” explained Rick Blackwood, the assistant deputy minister for Alberta Environment and Parks.
The aim is to manage the water level to reduce the risk of flooding and to help manage drought during dry years by managing the water level at the reservoir, he added.
“If we see what we feel is going to be a major rain event coming, we will begin to lower the reservoir as quickly as we can – but there are limits as to how quickly we can reduce it,” Blackwood added.
The maximum water level for the reservoir is 1,189 meters. According to TransAlta, the Ghost plant generates an average of 173,000 megawatt hours each year.
The province intends to keep the reservoir at a general low level in order to account for the time that would be needed to lower it further in case of emergency.
The Alberta Government will pay TransAlta $5.5 million annually for five years to offset the impacts that modified operations will have on TransAlta’s ability to generate power at these facilities. The plant will continue to be operated by TransAlta staff.
Record-low levels of the reservoir last year, 1,184.2 meters, caused a great deal of controversy for recreational users, which is something the province hopes to avoid this year.
“We’ve been working with a number of different stakeholders including local residents of the Ghost and we certainly understand (their frustration) and as a result, this year, in terms of lowering the reservoir, we haven’t lowered it the same level as last year, it’s not quite as low as it was,” Blackwood explained.
Mike Weinert, owner of Ghost Lake Recreations, the company that operates the Ghost Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area, is already being negatively affected by the reservoir’s current level.
“I operate the marina, so low water level impacts us seriously. Basically at this water level, we can’t operate our facility – it’s really difficult to launch boats since the water is down about 15 feet right now,” Weinert said.
Weinert understands the province is trying to be cautious during the upcoming flood season but doesn’t think the plan is inclusive enough, saying the water load should be shared among the other reservoirs along the Bow River.
Blackwood said a lot of information was taken into account before the agreement took place.
“There’s been quite a bit of discussion over the last while with different stakeholders and, in addition, we used an enormous amount of water quality and quantity information from the Bow Basin,” Blackwood said.
Weinert said he and his company were not consulted about the agreement, though he is hoping communication will still happen.
“I don’t think there’s been any consideration to the recreational aspect of Ghost … They say they’ve had open books and I even read an article in (another news source) saying that Jason Penner, the public affairs officer with Alberta Environment and Parks, has talked to me and we’re a stakeholder in this but I’ve never met or talked with him,” Weinert said.
Weinert said if he was consulted, he’d ask how the province is going to adjust the recreational facility so “they can actually keep the doors open” with the lower levels. He said alterations could be made to the launch ramps and docks to accommodate users.
“I have to stay positive about this whole situation, instead of crying the blues about how it’s killing us, I have to see it as an opportunity to change the facility and move forward and I hope that people still come and utilize Ghost,” Weinert said.
Blackwood said the province will work to bring the reservoir up its normal level as quickly as possible while it looks to manage the flood risk over the next month or two.
Download the Alberta Flood app on your smart phone or tablet for real-time information on reservoir levels.
