Flood mitigation in Calgary, High River gets go-ahead from Prentice

Premier Jim Prentice is giving the go-ahead to two flood mitigation projects in southern Alberta.

• Alberta pledges $600M for flood mitigation projects

He announced the government will construct adiversion of theHighwoodRiver to protect High River.

A dry reservoir will also be developed inSpringbank, located just west of Calgary, to accommodate floodwaters from the Elbow River to help protect the city.

Each project is estimated to cost $150million.

But not everyone is happy, like residents that will be affected in Springbank.

"This project would wipe out homes, businesses, nature areas and really change the character of Springbank forever," saidRyan Robinson, who speaks for the group behind dontdamnspringbank.org.

However, the premier says 15properties would be affected.Prentice says the province can raise buildings that might be affected ormove them. If the owner wants to be bought outthat's also a possibility, says Prentice.

Calgary mayor surprised

CalgaryMayor Naheed Nenshisays he pleased the premier has made flood mitigation a major priority, buthe says he's surprised by the scope of the announcement.

"The `room for the river` concept for the Springbank reservoir, while intriguing, has never been discussed with city officials," said Nenshi.

"It represents a real departure from the previous plan, where the reservoir would have played a role in both flood and drought years. This dry dam would not be used except during a flood and would not allow for comprehensive water management, what the province had previously stated was their goal for this project."

Nenshi said it was announced withoutdiscussion with the city's flood experts or policy-makers.

Prentice saysboth projects will proceed as quickly as possible, but they must first undergo public consultation and an environmental impact assessment.

He committed to negotiating a long-term agreement with TransAltato ensure the Ghost Reservoir can accommodate floodwaters from the Bow River.

DRPappeals to be addressed, says premier

Prentice says the government will also triple the number of appeals staff working with the Disaster Recovery Program to try toclear up outstanding appeals by the end of the year.

• High River flood repairs leave contractor out $100K after DRP delay

Of the 10,500 individual applications to the program because of the flood, more than 8,000 have been closed and the others are still being assessed.

There are 677 files currently being appealed. Of those, 120 files are from Calgary and 338 are from High River.

Susan Wright, the Liberal candidate for the upcomingCalgary-Elbow byelection, said it's unacceptable that 15 months after the flood there are people still looking for compensation.

"The time for action is way overdue,"said Wright."How much longer do the flood victims have to wait?"

She said if the PCs had implemented the Groeneveld reportrecommendations after the 2005 flood, the devastationin 2013 would have been significantly reduced.

The topic of flood mitigation is expected to be front and centre when Calgary-Elbow residents head to the polls.

• Calgary-Elbow PC candidate expects flood will be key byelection issue

The date for the byelection has not yet been set.

Below is an image of southern diversion plan approved for the HighwoodRiver: