It is officially that time of year when Calgary is most likely to experience river flooding. Flood season in Calgary runs from May 15 to July 15, and this year we will also observe the sixth anniversary of the Southern Alberta Floods.
During flood season, there is a lot of media coverage and often new or updated flood resources are released. To keep you connected to critical resources and information, we’ve compiled a flood season guide for you that we will continue to update throughout flood season.
For progress updates on upstream mitigation efforts check our recent blog posts on the Bow River and Elbow River projects.
Resources
City of Calgary
Throughout the year, you can visit calgary.ca/floodrisk for flood information. Browse the City’s historical flood data and current river monitoring activities, learn how to prepare for a flood and where to get emergency alerts, and get updated information on local flood mitigation projects and the City’s overall Flood Resilience Plan.
This year, the City released two new resources to kick-off its flood readiness campaign: a river flooding story map and flood-themed walking tours.
We highly recommend checking out the story map to get a sense of the risk flooding poses to different areas of the city. The map is searchable so you can check your home, work, travel route, etc.
We attended the Eau Claire walking tour on May 22 and were impressed by the amount of information packed into the one hour.
The tour discussion was not limited to only the Eau Claire mitigation efforts but also covered efforts throughout the city in Sunnyside, Bowness, Heritage, Pearce Estates, and more.
View our video recap of the tour on our Instagram highlight reel “Local Projects“.
For additional information, you can sign up for the City’s bi-weekly flood e-newsletter and download the Flood Readiness Guide.
Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA)
CEMA’s Disaster Risk Explorer is a new online website where Calgarians can find educational material on the type of risks and how to mitigate the impacts.
The website covers 11 risk categories including river flooding, winter storms, extreme heat and cold, tornados, and more; with many links and resources provided within the tool.
We recommend checking out the searchable flood inundation map to see how the city looked during the 2013 flood.
← Click the photo to see how the map works!
Events
In May, water management issues took front and center at city council over two days mid-month. Council participated in a day-long strategic meeting devoted to watershed management issues and, later that week, City administration gave their annual update on Calgary’s Flood Resilience Plan.
Read our update on both council meetings here: Spotlight on water management at City Council
Image: Bow River Basin Council
Events throughout May included Disaster Alley, a flood-themed Jane’s Walk in Sunnyside, a speakers panel on water sustainability at the University of Calgary, and the City’s flood-themed walking tours.
Upcoming events:
The next Bow River Basin Council Quarterly Forum and AGM is scheduled for June 12th, 2019 at TransAlta (9:00 am to 3:30 pm). Attendance is free. Registration is required.
A few of the presentations planned for the event include:
- SAIT Water Sustainability Program – Pablo Pina, SAIT
- Calgary Healthy Rivers StoryMap – Sarah Marshall, The City of Calgary
- Elbow River State of the Basin Project – Flora Giesbrecht, ERWP
- Glenmore Dam Modifications – Steven Dold, The City of Calgary
These forums are a great resource for watershed information. To get a sense of what you can expect, check out the October 2018 forum summary from CRCAG.
Media coverage
To keep you in-the-loop with all the flood season media coverage, we’ve curated all links here. We’ll keep updating this list as additional coverage is published.
Airdrie Today
- Information session for more dialogue on SR1 project
- Province updates RVC on Springbank Reservoir project
Calgary Herald
- UCP government hires lawyer to explore expedited construction of Springbank dam
- Growth, climate change could push Calgary’s water intake to the limit by 2036
- As flood season approaches, City of Calgary has improved its emergency preparedness (video)
- UCP MLA-elect urges government to reconsider support for Springbank dam
- Braid: This is Ric McIver’s second shot at building the Springbank dam; good luck to him
- UCP moving forward on contentious Springbank dam project amid regulatory delays
- Opinion: Flood mitigation delays prove once again that Canada’s regulatory system is broken
- Who should bear the financial risk of flooding? Report lays out three options
- City of Calgary launches resiliency strategy to quell future stresses and shocks
- A flood of memories: Calgary Herald pages record the disaster
- Letter to editor May 1: Canadian floods raise spectre of Calgary’s preparedness Re: Evacuations continue as floods ravage Eastern Canada, April 29
- Letter to editor May 4: Calgary needs to move on flood plans for everyone’s benefit Re: Flood woes continue in Eastern Canada; Rain In Ottawa, April 30
- Letter to editor May 8: Government in a hurry to ignore proper flood assessment Re: UCP government hires lawyer to explore expedited construction of Springbank dam, May 4
- Letter to editor May 8: The other side of the river Re: UCP government hires lawyer to explore expedited construction of Springbank dam, May 4
- Letter to editor May 21: Human and financial costs greater than a levy
Calgary Sun
Canadian Underwriter
CBC News
- City going ahead with 4 new flood barriers on Bow River
- Alberta’s government hires lawyer to try to speed up Springbank dam construction
- This is not a NIMBY issue’: Springbank dam opponents ask UCP to reconsider plan
- From flood to drought, Calgary council talks how to manage city’s water supply
- No extreme flood risk in forecast for Calgary, but city says it’s prepared for one
- Canadians helping Canadians’: Albertans raise $45K to help clean up Ottawa-Gatineau floods
- Proposed Springbank reservoir faces renewed, invigorated opposition and video broadcast (at 16:30)
- Alberta sends 8,000 pages of documents on Springbank reservoir to regulator
- ‘It’s a problem for society’: Climate change is making some homes uninsurable
City News
- City continuing work on flood mitigation projects
- How prepared are you for a disaster? CEMA rolls out new tool to educate Calgarians
- Albertans raise money for flood cleanupCity continuing work on flood mitigation project
- McIver faces opposition on campaign promise to build Springbank reservoir
- Province submits thousands of pages of answers to regulators on Springbank dam
- Six years later, Calgary still unprepared to prevent major flooding
Cochrane Times
- Community association continues to fight flood mitigation project
- Rocky View County Remains Opposed to SR1
CTV News
- Residents continue opposition to Springbank Dam (video)
- Below average snowpack a precursor to uneventful flood season? (video)
- Heritage Park’s beloved paddlewheeler returns to the water
- Province to discuss submissions to regulators for Springbank Reservoir project
- Province presents 8,000-page document to regulators for Springbank Reservoir project
- Bragg Creek to host townhall on proposed Springbank Dam project
Daily Hive
- Province appoints lawyer to evaluate Alberta’s Springbank Reservoir project
- The city is getting prepared for flood season in Calgary
Global News
- UCP appoints lawyer in hopes of expediting construction of Springbank Dam
- First your home is flooded — then you lose your mortgage?
- Flood forecast: What does 2019 look like for Calgary? (video)
- Opinions clash on Calgary flood mitigation berms
- Alberta snowpack currently average to below average
- Alberta government moving Springbank reservoir project ahead with response to regulators
- ‘The government can do better’: Critics of Springbank Dam hold information session
Globe and Mail
- Water levels to stay high, but second round of floods not expected in Ottawa area: Goodale
- Alberta continuing with Springbank dam project despite provoking rage of ranchers and First Nations
- Fortress McMurray: After decades of building on the floodplain, a city moves to protect itself from its capricious rivers
Journal of Commerce
- Alberta hires lawyer to speed up reservoir project
- Alberta government responds to regulator questions on Springbank Reservoir project
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Star Metro
- Nearly six years after Calgary’s flood, what’s next for the Springbank dam plan
- Alberta government pushes Springbank dam review process forward
If there is anything else you’d like to see in this guide – let us know!
Questions? Comments? Reach us atinfo@floodfreecalgary.com.