Five years after flooding tore apart a multi-million dollar project aimed at making the Harvie Passage safe and fun, restoration work on the waterway is rumoured to be fully completed.
The project, aimed at transforming the deadly set of rapids on the Bow River into a recreational environment, was originally opened in 2012.
Tony Palmer, owner of Undercurrents, a paddling school and store in Calgary is part of the original group that spearheaded the project.
“The first one we started in 1999, just a small group of us slowly building a coalition, getting some movers and shakers like Calgary Parks Foundation, Calgary Foundation, the Harvie family and some city officials.”
Palmer said the group changed the deadly weir into a great public resource.
However, after the summer of 2013, Mother Nature had had her way with the stretch of water, burying many parts of the passage and even carving a whole new path further inland.
“It was disappointing of course that about a year after it opened, the flood blew it apart and we had to start over.”
Harvie Passage has been prohibited to boaters ever since, but another $8M in funding from the Federal Disaster Recovery Program has seen it transformed once more.
Palmer says there will be a lot of interest in the new Harvie Passage and paddlers will be lining up to try it out.
“I know a lot of paddlers are going to be out, just to try it out on the first day. If you follow on Facebook, you know there’s a lot of interest. People are pretty excited.”
He says the area will provide a good challenge for experienced paddlers and it’s a lot closer than other rapids.
“For those paddlers who are looking for more excitement, experienced and educated paddlers, the closest place right now is typically the Kananaskis River, about 40 minutes from the northwest corner of Calgary. This will be right in downtown Calgary. You’ll be able to go there easily on the weekend or after work.”
He also says that the right hand side of the passage will be accessible for everyone on the water, from rafters to small fishing boats.
“For paddlers who are looking for less excitement on the river, we’re going to have the right side channel, the low flow channel, which would be easy for anyone with some basic river knowledge to pass through.”
Catherine Orr, a landscape designer with O2 Planning and Design, says a lot of work has been done and she is sure that a lot of people will find something to enjoy there.
“It’s a huge change from before. The whole place is going to be a huge public amenity. It’s going to be a great place for people to come and access the river, go swimming, sit by the river and watch the boaters, float the Bow River and stop here, come and enjoy this giant adult slide.”
O2 Planning and Design is the landscape architect company responsible for designing the landscaping and revegetation measures on the project.
Harvie Passage, in addition to providing river users with some fun, also has a big ecological benefit.
“It provides passage for fish. That was one of the main reasons that we did the project, because the Weir blocks passage for fish. We’ve integrated a lot of habitat features into here as well as stuff for people to enjoy.”
The new project also includes seating and a number of beaches where people can come right up to the water’s edge.
“There is a big, wide pathway. We expect it to be very busy.” Orr says.
The opening day for Harvie Passage is expected to fall on Wednesday.
(With files from Brad MacLeod)
