Springbank Off-stream Reservoir now operational, says province
After three years of construction, the controversial Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) is now operational, says the Alberta government.
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The reservoir, located about 15 kilometres west of Calgary, was built to prevent another flood like the one Calgary and southern Alberta experienced during the June 2013 floods. Five people died in the catastrophic floods, which caused more than $5 billion in damages.
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The SR1 will only hold water during a flood, when it will divert water from the Elbow River and release it back into the river once there's no longer a flood risk.
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When the Elbow's water level rises, SR1's 4.7-kilometre long, 24-metre wide diversion channel will move water to the off-stream storage reservoir, which can store more than 70 million cubic metres of water about 28,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
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'With flood season now upon us, Calgary and southern Alberta can rest assured that they will be protected from future large-scale floods like that of 2013,' said Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen in a Wednesday statement.
'SR1's innovative design will ensure people, communities and businesses are buffered from the most devastating physical and economic impacts of major floods.'
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Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Calgarians remember 'all too well' the devastation caused by the 2013 floods, but added the SR1's completion 'marks a turning point.'
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'The completion of SR1 means we are better prepared, more resilient and actively protecting people, property and prosperity,' said Gondek in a Wednesday statement.
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Last week, the city's river engineering leader said the SR1 will work in tandem with the Glenmore Reservoir, which doubled its own water storage capacity in 2020, and its added capacity has drastically reduced the chances of flooding along the Elbow River.
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The SR1 cost an estimated $849.4 million, a figure that includes land purchases, the province says.
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The Alberta government is footing $680.9 million of that bill, and the federal government is contributing $168.5 million.
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The province's share has jumped over $100 million from the estimate provided by former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney three years ago. In 2022, Kenney said the province would pay $576 million for the SR1 which itself was a 25 per cent increase over the highest estimate at the time of $432 million.
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