Elbow River Flood Mitigation - An Update on Proposed Springbank Off-stream Reservoir Project

by Ann Sullivan

In 2014, one year after the largest flood since 1897, the Government of Alberta under leader Jim Prentice decided to move forward with the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir Project (SR1) as a way to mitigate future flooding. When complete, the dry reservoir, in conjunction with the Glenmore Reservoir, would be able to handle the same volume of water as in the flood of 2013.

The project is now seeking regulatory approval from the provincial Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) and the federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAA), formerly called the Canadian Environmental Approval Agency (CEAA). The length of this process and its outcome are both unknown at present. Following approval, the Province will need to acquire land for the project, only 20 percent of which has been acquired so far.  Remaining landowners, some of whom strongly oppose SR1, could require expropriation.

“The regulatory process is unpredictable,” Matthew Hebert, executive director, transportation policy with Alberta Transportation, noted in a letter to the ERWP, “and setting definitive timelines is challenging as a result.” Once the project receives final approval, the project will take an estimated three years to construct. 

Read more: Elbow River Flood Mitigation - An Update on Proposed Springbank Off-stream Reservoir Project