Ghost River location selected for new Bow River Reservoir

The Bow River runs through the most populated regions of Alberta, so managing water levels in this river is important to help the province respond to floods, droughts and other extreme weather. Past events like the 2013 floods have shown the importance of protecting communities downstream.

After reviewing multiple options, the Alberta government has determined that the relocated Ghost Dam option is significantly better than the Glenbow East option due to 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. Based on the data collected in the study, one option, the relocated Ghost Dam, is clearly the best choice to move forward with."

Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

In 2013, the southern Alberta flood caused more than $5 billion in damage in Calgary and surrounding communities. Creating additional water storage will significantly reduce the impact of severe weather events on Albertans who live and work around the Calgary area.

After extensive study, Alberta's government is moving forward with exploring the relocated Ghost Dam option because it has a smaller project footprint and fewer overall impacts to the environment, property and infrastructure, while providing comparable water storage to the Glenbow East option.

The Glenbow East option posed higher risks to downstream communities during construction, including Calgary. Its earthfill dam would also be more susceptible to erosion and failure during large flood events compared to the Relocated Ghost Dam, which is a concrete gravity dam.

Alberta will now move to the next phase of the project. Phase 3 is the engineering and regulatory approval phase, and more information on this work will be shared in 2025.

Quick facts

• A May 2017 report by the Bow River Working Group included a recommendation to complete conceptual assessments of three major reservoir options on the Bow River, upstream of Calgary.
  • Relocated Ghost Dam: An expansion of the existing Ghost Reservoir.
  • Glenbow East: A new reservoir between Cochrane and the Bearspaw Dam at the western edge of Calgary.
  • Morley: A new reservoir between Seebe and Morley, on Stoney Nakoda Nations reserve land. This option is no longer being pursued.
• The potential selection and implementation of a reservoir option on the Bow River upstream of Calgary is being approached in four phases:
  • Phase 1: Conceptual Assessment
  • Phase 2: Feasibility Study
  • Phase 3: Engineering and Regulatory Approval Process
  • Phase 4: Procurement, Construction and Commissioning
• In 2021, Alberta began engagement and field studies for Phase 2, the feasibility study. It assessed technical feasibility, while carefully considering a variety of social, environmental, cultural, traditional land use, engineering and economic elements. The final report will be released in early 2025.
• An alternatives assessment was also conducted to determine if something other than a new reservoir could provide equivalent flood and drought protection. Options were evaluated, but none provided the water storage necessary to mitigate impacts from both floods and drought, without significant issues related to Treaty rights, environmental impacts and regulatory challenges.
• The project will now transition from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas to Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors for Phase 3.
• Along with the Bow River Reservoir, Alberta is also developing the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir to provide protection along the Elbow River in Calgary and other downstream communities as part of an overall flood mitigation system.

Related information

• Bow River Reservoir Options

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