CALGARY -- After almost five years of work, upgrades to the Glenmore Reservoir dam are nearly ready ahead of the spring thaw.
Work on overhauling the dam started in 2015 with the relocation of the utilities that ran along the bridge deck. In 2017, crews began replacing aging concrete and upgrading the dam’s stop-log system.
"A stop-log system is just a stack of wooden timbers that were used to increase the amount of storage that we had here at the reservoir," said Steven Dold, the city’s dam safety engineer.
Workers constructed an elevated deck on the east side of the dam that now support the hoists for each individual steel gate instead of wood, something like a garage door but much stronger.
"This is a key component in the instillation of the gates," explained Dold. "Each of the 21 new steel gates has an independent winch or operator and that allows us to utilize the gates for flood control as well."
Construction of the dam began in 1930 and, following its completion three year later, the resulting reservoir provided drinking water to Calgarians. The addition of the 21 steel gates will allow engineers to hold back much more water from the Elbow River and increases the reservoir’s storage by approximately 10 million cubic meters.
"In the winter months we can store 1.5 metres above crest and then during spring runoff we can utilize the full height of the steel gates which is 2.5 metres above crest," said Dold.
Sandy Davis is the city’s river engineering team lead and constantly monitor’s the city’s river system. Davis helped engineers design the upgraded Glenmore Reservoir dam.
"For flood events that are slightly smaller than what we saw in 2013, say the size of what we saw in 2005, now we will be able to completely mitigate that sized event without seeing flooding in our downstream communities," said Davis.
To help stop a 1-in-200 year flood like the one the city experienced in 2013, Davis says upstream projects are vital.
"We’re really looking to the Springbank Reservoir and the upstream mitigation as the critical piece for reducing the risk for those bigger events."
The upgrades are on schedule, within the $82 million budget, and should be complete by May, just in time for the spring melt. The city is anticipating the bridge deck and pathway will be reopened to the public by summer.
To learn more about the dam improvement project and other flood mitigation projects happening in Calgary visit City of Calgary – Flooding in Calgary
