In recent years the value of land has had conflicting views in the rural community of Springbank. Located just West of Calgary (AB), Springbank is the potential site for a new dam that would help to mitigate flooding. After the Calgary floods of 2013, provincial leaders decided that protective measures would need to be implemented in order to ensure no further disasters to Calgarys downtown core. If significant flooding were to occur, the dam’s reservoir would store up to 78 million cubic meters of water, which would be similar to the capacity of water encountered during the 2013 floods (Hudes, S., 2019). Since its proposal, the dam has been met with criticism from surrounding residents, which includes myself. If the dam is built the reservoir would cause irreversible damages to this beautiful land. Landowners in the reservoir zone would have their land rendered essentially useless. Farm land that has been handed down generations would be covered in a bed of silt water. Also, two main roadways would be retired, causing a disruption in access to surrounding towns such as Cochrane and Bragg Creek. The dam would also have an environmental effect, as one of the worlds best trout fishing populations would need to adapt to the Elbow river diversion. Opponents to the dam have asked the government to consider moving the dam upstream to the Maclean Creek area, which was abruptly rejected (CBC News, 2019). Currently the dam is under review in the courts, but is expected to pass review and be built in the near future without the approval of many Springbank residents. Unfortunately, the current trend is showing that this conflict between government and opposition won’t be solved in this case, although it easily could be if the dam were to be moved to the Maclean Creek site. The Maclean Creek site would have no affect on landowners, as most of the land is located in provincial and federal parks. It would also ensure that the town of Bragg Creek would receive the dams protective benefit, which also encountered severe flooding damages in 2013. Until the government seeks the appropriate approval from residents, the Springbank dam conflict will continue.
References:
Hudes, S. (2019, June). UCP moving forward on contentious Springbank dam project amid regulatory delays. Calgary, AB, CAN: Calgary Herald. Retrieved from https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/ucp-moving-forward-on-contentious-springbank-dam-project-amid-regulatory-delays
CBC News. (2019, January). Alberta buys 465 acres for Springbank dam project despite controversy. Calgary, AB, CAN: CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-springbank-dam-land-purchase-1.4997790
Fletcher, R. (2017, November). Springbank reservoir would have no significant environmental impact, Alberta Transportation concludes. Calgary, AB, CAN: CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/springbank-reservoir-environmental-assessment-review-1.4382625
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