The City of Calgary Expert Management Panel has released The River Flood Mitigation Panel Final Report for approval by City Council. In the report, it’s revealed that the proposed tunnel taking water from the Glenmore Reservoir on the Elbow River to the Bow River will cost $457 million for construction and engineering, double that of the original estimate of $200-290 million. More details are provided in the Report to Priorities and Finance Committee, including that the project has been deemed feasible by the engineering firm Hatch Mott MacDonald.  

New In The Report

Aside from a new price tag, the report also comes with a new path for the tunnel. The original proposed path was from the bottom of the Glenmore Reservoir, under 58th Avenue, and into the Bow River. The new path is from within the Glenmore Reservoir, under Heritage Drive, into the Bow River. 

 

Reactions So Far…

The report happened to be released (or at least seen by media) mere hours before the Calgary River Communities Action Group Annual General Meeting. For those unfamiliar with the group, they formed shortly after the flood last year and have been advocating for the protection of their communities from future flooding. This meant some raw reactions from that group as they heard not only the news, but the first public comments from Mayor Nenshi and Premier Hancock who were attending the AGM.

There have also been a trickling in of reactions from those who did not attend the CRCAG AGM.

What’s Next?

The report comes with the following recommendation:

Recommendation: In partnership with the Province, compare the three major capital works options for mitigating floods on the Elbow River and identify the optimal investment plan:

i. A diversion from the Elbow River to the Bow River in accordance with the conclusions of the feasibility studies.

ii. The Springbank off-stream diversion and storage site.

iii. The McLean Creek dry dam.

If the recommendation is followed, it seems there may be a winner take-all from the three options above. The report to committee further elaborates on this: “An integrated evaluation by the Province, in collaboration with The  City, of the costs and benefits (operational, environmental, economic, safety) of all three options is needed”.

For you the reader, we hope this means now will be the time that you send in feedback on these costs and benefits so that issues that are near and dear to your heart are not missed. Whether that’s the immediate protection of your home, or the trout in river (as per the comments in the tweets above) or something else entirely. As indicated in previous blog posts, we can be your messenger to get feedback to report writers and decision makers. Alternatively you can send feedback directly to the City or Province.

 

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Ross Douglas

Ross Douglas

Board Member

Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.

Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Brian Mergelas

Brian Mergelas, PhD, ICD.D

Board Member

Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market.   With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry. 

Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector. 

He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency. 

Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field. 

Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation.   As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.