Springbank Reservoir moves to construction phase
Voluntary agreements have been reached with landowners to secure 100% of the land needed for the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1), but that doesn’t mean landowners are happy about it.
“There was a lot of pressure on those landowners and the expropriation process can be very ugly and I think it’s quite difficult to stand against the Alberta Government of all people,” said Karin Hunter, president of the Springbank Community Association, adding that these agreements were not voluntary by her definition. Many landowners participated in the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) approval process this summer and made it clear they were not willing to part with their land. These same landowners held out till the bitter end in a difficult position facing possible expropriation; Hunter called the term “voluntary,” frustrating and misleading.
“Voluntary means that all parties have willingly signed an agreement with the government to sell their land so no expropriation will happen,” said Miranda Rosin, MLA of Banff – Kananaskis. While price tags for their land may have been agreed on, she ventured to say that not a single person anywhere in Springbank, Bragg Creek, or Redwood Meadows is happy about this project, including herself as the MLA. Rosin fought against the SR1 for three years and hosted town halls with government officials in the small communities west of Calgary. These events were well attended and even got rowdy.
“We had people standing on chairs, yelling. People were upset and I don’t blame them,” she said. Many in these small communities feel they are being treated as second-class citizens to the City and that they were never given a fair chance to weigh in on this project until it was too late, she said. Once SR1 received approval from the NRCB this year, there was no turning back, Rosin explained.
As a condition of the NRCB approval, the Government of Alberta must create a joint land use committee with the community and First Nations to identify land use. Hunter noted that there will be a huge area of new crown land sitting in the heart of Springbank, and she hopes to advocate for public use, where it makes sense. “Whether that’s pathways, berms, or something to minimize the impact of SR1 in our community in a negative way and maybe provide some positive opportunities moving forward for land use,” Hunter said.
Construction of the reservoir will begin without delay in early 2022. The project will protect homes in Calgary and southern Alberta from future floods, but local landowner groups argued that it leaves anyone west of Calgary vulnerable to future catastrophe. The construction phase will be a harsh reality next year and create additional problems for residents already dealing with detours due to Calgary’s ring road construction, Hunter said. 3,700 acres of land is required for SR1, but more land has been acquired for the construction phase. The excess land around the project periphery is for construction and equipment and material storage, Rosin said. She was unsure what the intent for the land is once the dam is finished, but said a lot of that land may be put on the market to sell back to landowners or become crown land. Hunter noted that the purchase of excess land and the cost attached are also red flags in terms of transparency.
The Alberta website states that the budget for SR1 is $432M, but that the final budget will be known once land acquisition is complete and costs for final design are known. Rosin said the project is over budget. Hunter added that if you add up the cost to Alberta Transportation from public documents, the cost is well over $500M, not including payouts to First Nations and Rocky View County residents.
The project will take three years to complete and SR1 can be operational by 2024. Alberta Environment and Parks will be responsible for the operation of the project once complete.
Masha Scheele, HCN Staff
media@highcountrynews.ca
