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Part of Springbank Off-stream Reservoir

Land use planning – Springbank Off-stream Reservoir

The land use plan guides safe access and use of the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir.

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Springbank Off-stream Reservoir

Important notice

The Government of Alberta owns and operates Springbank Off-stream Reservoir. We have closed the dry reservoir area, in accordance with the land-use plan, for at least 2 growing seasons to allow land and vegetation to recover from construction. This also provides us time to restore disturbed sites and gives wildlife time to adjust to the landscape changes. 

During this closure period, our staff and others will continue monitoring and maintaining the area.

Overview

The land use plan for the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir project promotes safe access and the appropriate use of the project lands, including the dry reservoir, diversion infrastructure, diversion channel and earthen dam structure.

During flood events, the diversion infrastructure will divert Elbow River floodwater through the diversion channel into the dry reservoir. The earthen dam structure will hold the water. The dry reservoir will only contain water during flood emergencies. After the floodwater flows decrease, a gated outlet will control the release of the waters back to the Elbow River, connecting through an existing creek channel.

The Springbank Off-stream Reservoir is located in Rocky View County, approximately 15 km west of Calgary at the junction of Highway 22 and Springbank Road. The project lands cover an area of approximately 1,566 hectares (3,870 acres).

Specific regulatory conditions attached to the approval of this project require that when the project lands are not being used for flood mitigation or operational activities, First Nations will have priority access for the exercise of treaty rights and traditional uses. Public access and other uses, such as non-motorized recreational activities, will also be permitted.

How the plan was developed

The land use plan was informed by Indigenous communities and organizations, municipalities, community organizations, local landowners and other stakeholders through participation in 2 land use committees. The committees started meeting in early 2022.

First Nations Committee

The First Nations Committee emphasized the importance of First Nations’ priority access and use of the project lands to exercise their treaty rights and traditional uses.

Consisting of representatives from Treaty 7 and Treaty 6 First Nations, the committee shared varying perspectives and knowledge with the Alberta government, highlighting the importance of the project lands for their environmental and cultural values.

Joint Land Use Advisory Committee

The Joint Land Use Advisory Committee consisted of representatives from Indigenous communities and organizations, local municipalities, local community groups, local landowners, environmental organizations, recreation groups and other interested stakeholders.

This committee provided advice and submitted the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir: Land Use Plan Recommendations Report for public use and access of the project lands to the Alberta government for consideration in development of the draft land use plan.

Engagement

Feedback from Indigenous communities and organizations and Albertans was collected through an online survey and used to inform the final land use plan.

Learn more about the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir Land Use Plan engagement.

Roles and responsibilities

Several Alberta government ministries share responsibilities for the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir project and project lands:

  • Transportation and Economic Corridors led the initial application and approval process and oversaw the construction of the project infrastructure.
  • Environment and Protected Areas is responsible for leading land use planning for the project lands.
  • Agriculture and Irrigation is responsible for operating and managing the infrastructure and project lands.
  • Forestry and Parks and Environmental and Protected Areas supports management of the project lands.

More information

Learn more about the project:

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