Battle over Springbank Dam continues
The battle wages on over a dry-dam flood-mitigation project in Springbank.
Wednesday night marked the five year anniversary of Calgary flooding in 2013, and supporters and opponents of the project clashed at a meeting hosted by the Calgary River Communities Action Group.
Kevin Littlelight with the Tsuu T’ina Nation said they have their concerns about the dam.
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“We have engineers, they’re doing the study and it will definitely flood some parts of Tsuu T’ina,” he said.
He agreed with the Don’t Damn Springbank group that the government should instead build a dam on McLean Creek, where it would affect fewer people.
However, NDP MLA Brian Mason said only a couple dozen families in Springbank would give up land, while the project would potentially save all of downtown Calgary should another flood occur.
“Any attempt to switch horses now would result in very significant delays in flood protection and would result in much poorer outcomes,” he said.
He said the government is willing to buy land from Springbank owners, and if they resist, expropriation would be the next move.
