Little Bow project newsletter

2 Pages·2001·1.4 MB·English

by  Alberta. Alberta Transportation

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Project Officially Bow River Dam Progresses
Under Way
Phase One of the three-year construction program is p rogressing well. The
foundation preparation for the main dam has been completed. Construction of
A s od-tuming ceremony took place at the low level outlet pipe is under way and scheduled for completion by
the Little Bow River damsite on June
December 15, 2000. After spring run-off in 2001, the Little Bow River will be
29, 2000. Over 200 people attended
diverted through this pipe to enable construction of the earthfill dam to begin.
the event emceed by Public Advisory
Dam construction will be tendered early in 2001 and construction will take two
Committee Chairman Glen Roemmele.
Alberta Infrastructure Minister Ed
Stelmach, Little Bow ML A Barry years.
McFarland, Vulcan County Reeve Little Bow Canal Enlargement
Wayne Davey, and MD of Willow
Creek Reeve Evan Berger took part in
Final design of the new diversion stmcture on the Highwood River and the upsized
the event. The ceremony was attended
canal through the Town of High River is complete. Land acquisition for the
by representatives from the MD of
construction of the canal to accommodate a f low of 300 cubic feet per second
Footfulls, the Treaty Seven First
(cfs) (8.5 mVs), compared to its current capacity of 100 cfs (2.8 mVs), is under
Nations and included a p rayer and
way. Subject to acquiring the additional 1 1 a cres of land needed, bank
blessing by Peigan Elders Elsie Crow
construction is scheduled to begin in June 200 1 . A p ortion of this work will
Shoe and Margaret Plain Eagle.
provide some additional flood protection to the Town of High River. A f ish
screening structure will also be built to prevent fish from entering the canal.
Clear Lake Component
Nearing Completion Road Construction
The 10-km Clear Lake canal and
The one-mile stretch of the Stavely East Road adjacent to Clear Lake has been
diversion structure on Mosquito Creek
raised to final grade. Next year the MD of Willow Creek will place an
are essentially complete. The
oil-treated gravel surface on this stretch.
remaining work to be completed by
November 30, 2000 is finishing the
The MD is also undertaking the engineering design and is seeking regulatory
armouring of the canal banks and
approvals for the new Range Road 263 crossing of Mosquito Creek between
re-routing the creek past the new
diversion structure. One feature of this the Parkland Road and SH529 (previously Fireguard Road). Final design and
rights-of-way acquisition for rebuilding SH529 to Highway 2 i s also in p rogress
work will be the provision of a p ipe to
and tenders will be issued once this is complete.
retain flow in the old channel to create
fish spawning habitat. Then all is r eady
Vulcan County has been re-grading and oiling the Vulcan Airport Road.
to begin fiUing Clear Lake next spring.
Completion is scheduled before the end of October.
In addition to stabilizing the lake level,
the project will also provide water to a
175 -ha wetland complex adjacent to
the canal and lake to sustain wildlife and
waterfowl.
the Panel decided to make the
Area Structure Plan
Highwood Storage investigations an
The Area Structure Plan for the Little Bow River Reservoir will ionvteergarlall Hpiargth wofo o Aldb e rRtiav e rE n vBiarsionn m eWnatt’esr
estabhsh the rules regarding land use, zoning, and development Management Plan (HMP). The
on private lands surrounding the reservoir. The reservoir will he portion of the plan relating to the main
within both the MD of Willow Creek and Vulcan County and stem of the Highwood River, including
the municipalities have agreed that it w ill be a jo int plan. diversions into the Little Bow basin, is
Although the Area Stmcture Plan is within the jurisdiction of the to be completed by March 2002.
two municipalities, Alberta Infrastructure, as developer of the Public consultation required for the
reservoir, pays the cost of developing the plan. The department development of this plan is j ust getting
started.
has engaged the Oldman River Intermunicipal Service Agency
(ORIS A) to develop the plan.
A k ey step will be the creation of a
ORIS A h as developed a w ork plan for completion of the Area Public Advisory Committee. Praxis
Structure Plan. The intent is to have the plan adopted well Inc. of Calgary has been retained by
before reservoir operation commences. Throughout the process, the views of Alberta Environment to facilitate the
area residents in g eneral, and those within the plan boundaries in p articular, will process that will result in a p lan to
be sought and considered in formulating the specifics of the plan. manage water in the Highwood River
basin, including the diversions into the
At the same time that ORIS A i s developing a p lan for the private lands, Alberta Little Bow River basin. If y ou are
Environment whl be developing a m anagement plan for the Crown lands interested in p articipating in the process,
surrounding the reservoir. The two planning processes will be coordinated to please contact either Richard Roberts
ensure compatibihty of land use between public and private lands. or Joan Wood at Praxis in Calgary at
(403) 245-6404 (toll free line is
Recreation Development Plan 1-888-882-1285) or by e-mail at
[email protected] or by letter to Praxis
As part of the project, Alberta Infrastructure is committed to providing safe and Inc., 2215 - 1 9 Street, SW, Calgary,
AB T2T4X1.
controlled public access to the Little Bow River Reservoir. The firm of Lombard
North has been hired to design the recreational facilities for the reservoir. The
recreation facihties will include a b oat launch and related parking, and a d ay-use
area. Lombard North has also been asked to develop options for future
campground development. Development concepts will be presented to the Public
Communi
Advisory Committee for review in November.
First Nations Consultation
in. ^ . 1 u cs.^
e-mail:
Alberta Infrastructure has been working with representatives of Treaty Seven (403) 382-4376
First Nations to meet conditions in the project approval to conduct an [email protected]
ethnobotanical study of the reservoir area, relocate a p articularly significant
teepee ring, and develop an aboriginal interpretive area. Shirley Nelson, a
botanist and specialist in First Nations consultation, has been hired to coordinate Project Office Location:
this work. Elders and knowledgeable individuals from the First Nations have Champion Inn - c urrently
provided information and advice regarding aboriginal use of p lants in the open Tuesdays only
reservoir area and the appropriate handling and management of archaeological
sites and artifacts. Planning for the interpretive area will begin this fall. On-Site Contact:
Seamas Skelly
Highwood Storage Investigations e-mail:
Ph: (403) 897-3993
At a m eeting held in High River on April 19, 2000, by a J oint Review Panel [email protected]
representing the provincial Natural Resources Conservation Board and the
federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Alberta Infrastructure
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requested an extension to the deadline for completing a c omparative assessment
of additional water storage sites in the Highwood River basin. As a r esult of this
meeting, where presentations were made by a n umber of stakeholder groups.
INFRASTRUCTURE