Mayor explains why Calgary is still waiting for flood mitigation on the Bow River

It's been 10 years since flooding on the Bow and Elbow rivers devastated many parts of Calgary and southern Alberta. Work continues on mitigation projects in hopes of preventing a repeat.

Between the city expanding the Glenmore Reservoir's capacity by installing new dam gates and the province building an off-stream storage reservoir in Springbank, the Elbow River's ability to cause damage in riverside communities will soon be tamed.

But the Bow River remains a wild card.

The city has undertaken numerous small scale projects along its biggest river to minimize future flood damages. 

• WATCH | Calgary's mayor marks 10 years since the 2013

Mayor says Calgary's come a long way since flood, but there is still work to do

1 year ago

Duration 1:30

Jyoti Gondek marked the flood's 10th anniversary by outlining mitigation improvements since then, but she says there are still vulnerabilities along the Bow River to address.

However, the biggest move rests with the province: building a dam upstream of Calgary.

After years of work, the province has narrowed it down to three possible sites.

One location is near Morley. Another site is east of the existing Ghost dam, replacing it with a bigger barrier. A third option is called Glenbow East, at Calgary's northwestern boundary, about five kilometres upstream of the Bearspaw Dam.

Getting a new dam built remains a top priority for city council. CBC News recently asked Mayor Jyoti Gondek about the multi-year push for upstream mitigation on the Bow.

CBC: Why do we still not even know the preferred location for that mitigation, 10 years on?

GONDEK: I would say that we're aware that the Bow River reservoir option study is in Phase 2. And as part of that phase, they're comparing the feasibility of three potential reservoir sites upstream of Calgary so that we can mitigate flood and drought. I don't think they've come to any conclusions yet, and what we really need is for them to advance forward to Phase 3 of that study — which remains unfunded — because it's that portion of the study that would lead them to get to design work and approvals.

We continue to advocate for further advancement on this file because this is something that we know is incredibly important. But we've also had lots of shifts in government over the last little while. So I think it's been taking people time to get caught up on the ministry they've been given and then something changes. So I'm really hoping that this is the chance, as a reminder of the 10th anniversary of the flood, to start advancing Phase 3.   

CBC: While the city waits for this decision, are there going to be more protection measures planned along the Bow here in Calgary? Is the city going to just keep going?

GONDEK: We've seen that we're working on the berm process downtown, the flood barrier wall. We continue to do drainage improvements in other areas. We've also doubled the capacity of the reservoir by increasing the gates by 2.5 metres. So we continue to do everything we can within our jurisdiction. But we are really, really asking the province to step forward and help us out because upstream mitigation is probably going to be the biggest impact factor.

CBC: We've seen in numerous reports over the years that there is only so much that can be accomplished in armouring the riverbanks of the Bow to avoid a repeat of the 2013 flood event. So what do you tell people who say: 'What's taking so long?'

GONDEK: Talk to your MLAs. Write to the minister. Let them know how important this is to you. I mean, that's what we're doing. We're trying to stand up for Calgarians. But we do need individuals to also step up and start speaking with our provincial counterparts to explain just how critical this is.

CBC: You are less than two years into this job. Premier Smith was sworn in last fall and now she's won an election. Have you had a conversation with her about this issue, specifically the Bow?

GONDEK: We have talked about the many projects that we need to see undertaken, and flood mitigation is absolutely something that's on her radar. It's something she and I have discussed in the past. Every letter that we send in, when it comes to infrastructure requests, we talk about this. So she's well aware of it. She's experienced it. She was around in 2013 and saw what happened. So I don't think it's a lack of understanding or awareness. I think it's just trying to move this decision through a very big system.