The Alberta government said it has decided to use the Ghost River location for the future Bow River Reservoir because it does the best job at protecting communities. After reviewing multiple ideas, the Alberta government said the relocated Ghost Dam option is better than the Glenbow East one because of its lower cost, ability to mitigate future droughts and floods, and fewer social and environmental impacts. “Increasing water storage capacity is critical to protecting Calgary and other communities along the Bow River from future floods and drought,” said Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz in a Wednesday press release. “Based on the data collected in the study, one option — the relocated Ghost Dam — is clearly the best choice to move forward with.” In 2013, the southern Alberta floods caused more than $5 billion in damage in Calgary and surrounding communities. The Alberta government said creating additional water storage will reduce the impact of severe weather events on Albertans who live and work in the Calgary area. After extensive study, it said it is moving forward with exploring the relocated Ghost Dam option because it has a smaller project footprint; fewer impacts on the environment, property, and infrastructure; and comparable water storage to the Glenbow East one. However, it will require expanding and relocating the Ghost Reservoir. It said the Glenbow East option posed higher risks to downstream communities during construction, including Calgary. Additionally, it pointed out its earthfill dam would be more susceptible to erosion and failure during large flood events compared to the relocated Ghost Dam, which is a concrete gravity dam. Now the Alberta government will move to the next phase of the project. Phase Three is where it will receive engineering and regulatory approvals, and more information on this work will be shared in 2025. Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation CEO Jeromy Farkas warned in November Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park could end up underwater if the Alberta government pursued the Glenbow East option. .MAKICHUK: No dam way... Farkas in bid to save Glenbow Ranch from deep waters.“We're expecting a final decision to come down the pipe later next year,” said Farkas.“Each of the options is challenging, but for our position, we're advocating as strongly as possible for a solution that serves everybody's interest.”
