Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

dry reservoir

Construction on long-awaited Springbank reservoir to protect Calgary area from floods is officially a go

Construction on long-awaited Springbank reservoir to protect Calgary area from floods is officially a go

The Alberta government says it has secured all the land it needs to make construction officially a go on a long-awaited reservoir needed to protect Calgary and surrounding communities from disastrous floods — like the one that killed five people and caused billions of dollars in damages in 2013. The $432-million Springbank off-stream reservoir will redirect water from the Elbow River into a dry reservoir should extreme flood events occur. With up to $168.5 million in federal funding, the reservoir will be built on about 1,497 hectares of land near the rural community of Springbank, which is west and upstream of Calgary.

Springbank reservoir in the public interest, according to Alberta regulatory board

Springbank reservoir in the public interest, according to Alberta regulatory board

The Springbank reservoir, designed to protect Calgary from another devastating flood, has cleared a significant regulatory hurdle. The project, to be built just west of the city limits, would divert water from the Elbow River into a dry reservoir in the case of high water flows. On Tuesday, the the Natural Resources Conservation Board, a provincial body, determined the project was in the public interest despite some vociferous opposition from area landowners. It assessed environmental, social and economic impacts.

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