Ottawa will now be taking a look at the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir, which aims to protect Calgary from future flooding, to ensure the project won’t negatively impact the environment.
The decision to move forward on an assessment comes as the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency completed a 45-day review of the project.
The CEAA assessment will look into a number of elements already being examined by the provincial Environmental Impact Assessment, which commenced back in March.
The areas include, but are not limited to:
- air quality
- noise
- vegetation and wetlands
- fish and fish habitat
- wildlife
- migratory birds
- historical resources
- traditional knowledge and traditional land use
"Our government understands the importance of this project to provide flood protection to Calgary and other communities downstream on the Elbow River. We are committed to building the Springbank Reservoir as quickly as possible while meeting all of the project's regulatory obligations,” said Brian Mason, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation, in a release.
Members of the public are also being consulted during the assessment process, to ensure that all elements are covered.
In mid-May, the province held a pair of public information meetings on the Springbank Reservoir.
More information can be found on the official website.
