Calgary better equipped to handle a 2013-level flood event but work remains

If nature serves up another 2013-level flood event, Calgary could expect to prevent 55 per cent of the losses suffered a decade ago.

That improves to a 70 per cent reduction once the Springbank reservoir is complete in 2025.

"Almost a billion dollars has been committed on projects that are either underway or have been completed,” said Frank Frigo, a water resources engineer with the City of Calgary.

That includes the $744-million Springbank project.

Calgary suffered about $2.6 billion in damage during the flood and the province as a whole lost about $5 billion.

Until the Fort McMurray wildfires, it was the most costly natural disaster in Canadian history.

In Calgary, a series of seven flood walls have been laid out strategically along the Bow River, some hidden into other design elements such as the long row of park benches near Eau Claire.

A combination of pump stations, barriers and drainage projects cost about $300 million.

The big missing piece is a proposed upstream reservoir on the Bow River to absorb the river's periodic fury.

"Ultimately, a large reservoir must be built on the Bow River," says former mayor Naheed Nenshi, who was widely praised for his handling of the disaster.

"I'm told that that's still another 10 years away and that's unacceptable. That's just too long. And we should be able to finish that analysis and get that work done quickly."