Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
As the snow pillows in the mountains above the Red Deer River basin begin to melt in May and June, feeding the Red Deer River and its tributaries, the annual fill cycle of the Gleniffer Reservoir begins. Water from the Red Deer River basin will flow into the Gleniffer Reservoir to be captured and stored, and released into the Red Deer River watershed via the Dickson Dam located approximately 180 kilometres northwest of the Town of Drumheller.
Dickson Dam, located approximately 180 kilometres northwest of Drumheller on the Red Deer River, plays a key role in the ongoing flood mitigation efforts in the Drumheller Valley through flow regulation and communication with municipal operators. Director of North Central Region of Alberta Environment and Parks, Water Infrastructure, and Operations Branch Rick Friedl was one of the operators involved at Dickson Dam during the 2005 flood event and took time to speak with the Mail to explain the purpose of the dam and its role in the 2005 and 2013 flood events.
