ENVIRONMENTAL

The demolition, construction and infrastructure relocation will forever change the scenic Bow River Valley and impact Calgary to Cochrane with air, land, and water pollution.

The Bow River, often referred to as the “Blue-Ribbon Bow”, is considered Canada’s greatest trout river, and fly fishing contributes to our thriving tourist industry. A dam at this location jeopardizes this industry by blocking the natural pathways of trout, whitefish, burbot, and suckers for feeding and spawning, interrupting their life cycles and their ability to reproduce.

Upon completion of the dam, air pollution will become an issue from spring through fall as winds carry dust and silt from the dry beds of the empty reservoir down the river valley to Calgary and beyond. This fine particulate matter can create breathing problems for Calgary residents.

Access roads and transmission lines will be required for the dam and run through a number of existing communities.

The reconstruction and relocation of the 10 kilometres of railway tracks which include five trestle bridges will be costly and disruptive to the surrounding communities of Bearspaw Village, Glen Eagles and Watermark. Property will be devalued. The relocation of the tracks will bring them closer to existing homes and block access to the river.

Creosote contamination from railway ties will enter the river, putting drinking water for Calgary and downstream communities at risk. Reclamation will be required.

Potential impacts to water wells and local water utilities (Co-ops), North Springbank Water Co-op, Harmony, Salt Box Coulee, and Springbank Links. These privately operated water utilities service hundreds of homes.

WILDLIFE

The Bow River valley is a key connecting corridor for a diverse wildlife population. This corridor contributes to a strong, diverse, and resilient wildlife population. Alberta is committed to biodiversity protection and achieving International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUUN) standard for global protected areas. Targets and biodiversity goals should be considered with large flood mitigation projects such as this.

This dam will destroy this corridor, fragment habitat, and leave wildlife at risk of displacement.

Endangered and threatened species at risk of habitat loss from this dam include, American Badger, Little Brown Bat, Northern Leopard Frog, Bull Trout, Ferruginous Hawk, Sprague’s Pipit, and White Pelican.

Other animals such as skunks, porcupines, coyotes, deer, and moose will seek new sources of food becoming pests and creating human/wildlife conflicts.

SACRED AND HISTORICAL SITES LOST

The parklands are the Traditional Territory of Treaty 7 and have sites of both sacred and historical significance. The lands have been well taken care of and these sites tend not to have been disturbed. There will be a loss of or damage to these historical resources during construction. The dam will displace the historical grazing lands of both bison and cattle.

The Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and the Haskayne Park are the site of 27 archeological digs by the University of Calgary. Most of these sites are called “stone features”, meaning uses of stone by First Nations people and include tipi rings, and fire-broken rock. Sacred grounds have many intact artifacts of Indigenous culture, some of which are under review by the prestigious Tyrell Museum.

The historic rangelands of the parks along both the north and south sides of the river valley include wetlands, riparian areas, grassland, forbs, and shrub communities. These rangelands have been managed sustainably by the ranchers for the long-term health of these lands for generations.

Nestled in the rolling hills on the south side of the valley sits the home of the historic Bow River Ranch. This site is home to a prominent movie set that has been used for TV, music videos, and the famous Lonesome Dove series, as well as “The Assassination of Jesse James”. This site represents an enduring resource for the growing Alberta film industry.

COMMUNITES

Several parks that run along the shores of the Bow River throughout the Town of Cochrane will be flooded.

Town of Cochrane

The Glenbow East dam will not provide flood and drought mitigation for Cochrane. Flooding of the Glenbow East dam will however, impact Riverfront Park, Jeff Uffelmann Memorial Park, the new bridge on Highway 22, and roads and lands surrounding Spray Lakes Recreation Centre.

Girl Guide Camp Jubilee will be flooded. Camp Jubilee is a 128 acre camp that serves as a camping retreat and conference centre.

Landowners Impacted

Over 20 landowners will be displaced and 200 acres will be lost to the dam. Local residents will be negatively impacted by the multi-year construction of the dam, new roads, powerlines and pipelines. The ongoing operation and maintenance of the dam will permanently change the character of the west side of Calgary.