Rocky View County (RVC) held a two-day open house event at the Springbank Park For All Seasons on March 7th and 8th to gather feedback for the provincial government on the local impacts of the massive SR-1 (Springbank Off-steam) Reservoir project.
Specific areas of interest the County hoped for feedback on included questions around operational funding for things which fall under the County’s jurisdiction like fire service and enforcement, grazing and vegetation management, and public access for recreational purposes.
According to RVC regional planning strategist Devin LaFleche, about 50 people took advantage of the opportunity to ask questions and provide direct feedback to the County at the open house.
“Well, before we even went out (to the open house), we did an internal review of the draft land use plan,” Lafeche explained. “Then we met with the County-based Joint Advisory Committee members (in 2022).”
Joint Advisory Committee members consisted of some local landowners, and members of the Springbank Community Association, Springbank Community Planning Association and the Springbank Trails and Pathways Association.
The purpose of the committee was to assess the local impacts of the SR-1 reservoir project.
The committee came up with 17 recommendations which became the basis of the questions being asked of residents at the open house and through the County’s online survey, (which closed on March 14), said LaFleche.
One of the largest concerns those coming out to the open house had was around recreational access to the reservoir once it was constructed.
“We'd like to see that there's that maximum amount of public access that doesn't interfere with any operations or cause any safety concerns,” said LaFleche.
As of right now, the province has signalled it would probably be open to allowing limited, non-motorized public access to the reservoir except at certain times of year when flood or melt waters might make access more hazardous.
LaFleche said most he spoke with at the open house were in favour of that option, but questions still remained about public access to the extra reserve lands around the reservoir which were acquired by the provincial government, including lands formerly associated with Kamp Kiwanis.
“The area called the South Lands, which are just south of the SR-1 lands just along the Elbow River there where the province had purchased, as well as the Kamp Kiwanis land– so just seeing if we can get as much public access as possible for the community.”
LaFleche said what needs to be understood from a public perspective is the reservoir is not going to an actual park space– so access will be limited.
“It is just a piece of flood mitigation infrastructure that is on occupied Crown land where we’re looking to have public access,” he explained. “So how can we do that in a way that allows for people to move through this space, enjoy this space, without it becoming a major destination, right? When it is not intended to be that.”
Another concern at the open house was about access for cattle grazing. Several local landowners have expressed a desire to access the SR-1 lands for some of their herds, said LaFleche, but the provincial government has already stated a contrary desire to manage the vegetation around the reservoir through mowing and haying alone.
LaFleche said the County hoped for further discussions with the province on this matter.
“Right now the land use plan has a preference of mowing and haying over livestock grazing,” he stated. “However, what we're hearing from the local landowners the ideal means for that to happen is actually to have grazing. Is it a viable option? And move that to the preferred option rather than having it go under mowing and haying.”
A significant area of concern from the County’s perspective, said LaFleche, is what happens after the reservoir is completed. The County presumably will have a significant role to play in the operations of the site, particularly through fire or safety response and enforcement.
LaFleche said the County hoped to be in on the ground floor when it comes time for Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation to take over management of the site once the dam is constructed. The County would also like to discuss the financial aspects of any service agreements it might make with the province surrounding ongoing management of the site.
“I think it's a conversation that needs to be had,” LaFleche stated. “The County did raise the concern that we'd like to be involved in the development of the operations plan as well as ongoing monitoring and the adaptive management process.
“We want to make sure that the County’s included so we understand what are the roles, responsibilities, as well as how all these types of things will be funded, etc.”
RVC council should hear the full report about what was heard at the open house and what feedback was received through County’s online survey at the March 26 meeting.
