Springbank Dam clears major hurdle, leaving residents with uncertain future
Tracey Feist grew up on the ranch along the southern bank of the Elbow River. Now retired, she drinks water from the same well she did as a little girl.
She lives just a few hundred metres from the proposed dam and diversion structure meant to reduce the power of the Elbow River during future flood events.
If the project goes ahead, she fears her water could change forever.
"I have multiple concerns with he project but the one that affects me greatly on our ranch is our water – our water wells that could be impacted by the construction," Feist says, standing by a small spring-fed creek.
"We’re just going to have to start monitoring to see if there’s any effect from the construction from across the road.”
The project was a direct response to the floods of 2013, which caused more than $5 billion in damage. Another lower cost mitigation option was proposed for McLean Creek, but that was turned down in 2015 by then-Premier Jim Prentice's PC government.
The Springbank plan includes a kilometre-long berm that will retain flood waters, creating a temporary lake up to five metres deep. It will also require raising sections of Highway 22 south of Highway 1 by another five metres.
It will also require the government to force local landowners to sell enough property to build the 1,500-hectare property. In many cases that land has been in the same family since around the 1890's.
"For those families it’s a bitter pill to swallow when they feel that there was a better alternative," says Karin Hunter of the Springbank Community Association, referring to the rejected McLean Creek reservoir plan.
The area is largely uncultivated native prairie grassland Hunter says. Once the reservoir is filled, it will leave a deep layer of silt which will dry up and blow across neighbouring communities.
"This is land in its natural state – this is the most threatened ecosystem in Canada and it will be bulldozed. It will be ruined," says Hunter.
The land is also home to at least two grizzly bears, as well as a large herd of elk.
The project still needs federal approval to move ahead.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.