With the overwhelming deluge of water that hit our province our town managed to keep its head above water so to speak because of the well engineered WID canal system that our lake is part of.
In a conversation with Western Irrigation District General Manager Erwin Braun PL (Eng) he was most reassuring in outlining the competency of design and integrity of structures in place for maintaining water levels in the WID system of canals and lakes.
Chestermere Lake serves a twofold purpose. First it is an irrigation reservoir that supplies water through its north and south canals to neighboring towns downstream and secondly it is an urban amenity for the town itself. The south canal diverts water to Strathmore, Gleichen, and Cluny ending its flow at Crowfoot Creek. The north canal eventually splits off providing water to the towns of Standard and Rockyford.
Water levels throughout the system are monitored 24/7 during the active water season. On the 21 of June I was down by the Inglewood Golf Course along Deerfoot Trail. Looking at the fairways to my left and the canal on my right were two different scenarios. The fairways were rivers of water while the canal appeared to be a lower level than usual.
The headwater of the canal is located south of the zoo downstream from the Elbow. The design of the weir or dam is to accommodate both high and low water levels in diverting water from the Bow. The use of sluice gates which when lowered back up water to create a high enough flow to fill the canals. Also adding to the water levels along the 30 or so kilometers that the canal takes to reach Chestermere are pipes from Calgary City storm water. All of this is taken into account in determining water levels.
Along the way to our town is another set of sluice gates at 84 Street that can be lowered causing the water to divert through the Shepard Slough System. The entire system uses these gates and instrumentation to monitor the water levels. The gates can be maneuvered manually if needed and there is also a backup generator on hand if a power outage occurs.
Braun also noted that upstream from Chestermere an overbank spillway was created to further protect the town from flooding. This spillway diverts any excess flow over a low cut bank and channels it back towards the Bow.
It was also interesting to hear some history from the WID. The 1919 flood which affected the Bassano Dam had the same flow rate as this June‘s flood. Braun says that flooding is a normal event, a natural event and not a disaster. It purges the waterways and helps fish spawning. The problems arise from building in flood plains.
One thing interesting to note is the amount of poplar fluff that is blowing around. The seeds of this native species that grow along our rivers and streams rejuvenate in cycles connected to flooding. When rivers are dammed and controlled the trees decline and we lose these habitats that are integral parts of our ecosystem. Perhaps the lesson here is to work with nature instead of controlling it. Sometimes you have to wonder if Mother Nature really knows best.
Initially there were all kinds of rumors going around about flooding, and the fear had people visiting the gas pumps and grocery stores.
Over the past week the WID has received numerous calls in regards to the situation at hand. Braun believes there are lessons to be learned from the recent flooding one of which is that communication is important in addressing the situation at hand. The WID kept the lines of communication open to the Town of Chestermere. A statement was needed and was effective. “Fears rose and quickly went away. The communication worked,” he said.
