Resident petitions for dry dam

Bragg Creek resident Dick Koetsier has launched the website and online petition ‘Dam McLean' urging people to sign in an effort to show the province they believe the proposed McLean Creek dry dam is the best option to protect the Greater Bragg Creek area, Redwood Meadows, Springbank and Calgary from potential future flooding.

Koetsier hopes people will lobby the province to build the McLean Creek dry dam instead of the Springbank off-stream reservoir to protect his community from flooding.

Over the last two weeks, Koetsier has collected 347 online and print signatures from residents of Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows, Springbank and Calgary.

“The support for the McLean Creek dry dam is so far unanimous, and I have yet to meet anybody who is opposed to this option, ” said Koetsier. “This petition will substantiate the amount of people who prefer the McLean Creek dry dam over the Springbank off-stream reservoir option. ”

Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) spokesperson Jason Penner said the Springbank off-stream reservoir is going ahead and his department has not decided if they will recommend to cabinet that the province build the McLean Creek dry dam.

“Detailed engineering and design work is in progress on the Springbank off-stream reservoir and we are also getting started with the Environmental Impact Assessment of that project, ” said Penner.

Penner said the McLean Creek dry dam is still under consideration, as is the Calgary underground diversion.

“From an initial engineering analysis, the McLean Creek dry dam appears to be a feasible option, ” said Penner. “McLean Creek is on the short list. ”

An online provincial fact sheet states the proposed dam would help control flood rates during a flood event, thereby protecting Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows and Calgary.

“Since the McLean Creek dry dam would be built upstream of Bragg Creek, it will greatly lower the chance of the community ever again being subjected to devastating floodwaters like those in 2013, ” said Koetsier.

Macleod MP John Barlow said that while it is ultimately the province's decision, he met with ESRD Minister Kyle Fawcett in December to discuss flood mitigation for Bragg Creek and Redwood Meadows.

“The overwhelming response I'm getting is that residents support the McLean Creek dry dam option because it will protect Bragg Creek and Redwood Meadows, ” said Barlow.

In 1913, Southwestern Ohio was devastated by a flood that killed 360 people, and caused $100 million in damages.

As an immediate response, the Miami Conservancy District built five dams along the Great Miami River by 1922, which are overseen by chief engineer Kurt Rinehart and his staff at the Miami Conservancy District.

To learn whether building dry dams in Alberta was a viable option for flood mitigation, ESRD director of strategic integration and projects Andrew Wilson, a colleague and Stantec Alberta staff, toured two dry dams in the region with Rinehart in January of 2014.

Wilson said he learned those dams are properly administered because the ongoing operating and maintenance costs are paid for with a user-pay system of tax levies.

“I learned you should map out a funding stream because ongoing maintenance costs need to be paid for. ”

The estimated construction costs for the Springbank off-stream reservoir is $214,768,000 (which does not include land acquisition), said Penner, and the estimated costs for the McLean Creek dry dam is $294, 581,000 (which does not include replacement of parks infrastructure.)

Alberta WaterSMART CEO Kim Sturgess submitted the ‘Room for the River Pilot for the Bow River Basin' draft report to ESRD Dec. 19, 2014, which analyzes whether the ‘Room for the River' program used in The Netherlands to manage flooding in the Rhine River branches might be able to be modified and implemented along the Elbow River in Alberta.

Sturgess said prior to deciding which project to build, the province must do a cost benefit analysis that includes ongoing maintenance costs.

“If you are going to build a large piece of infrastructure, it is not just capital costs but the ongoing maintenance costs that need to be considered. ”

Bow River Basin council executive director Mark Bennett said it is important that the province follows a fully transparent process while making their decision.

“We want a good process followed and whatever the answer is will be the right one. ”

Rinehart said there has been no flooding in the flood-prone cities since Ohio built the dams.

“One hundred years later, we have proved that dry dams are very effective in preventing floods many times, ” said Rinehart. “Dry dams have worked extremely well for us and it sounds like they might work well for Alberta too. ”

For more information on dry dams visit wmiamiconservancy.org.

For more information on Room for the River visit albertawaterportal.com.

For more information visit dammclean.org.