Mountain Creek Hazard Mitigation

Seasonal High Water Monitoring

After the flooding of 2013, the Town of Canmore created a Mountain Creek Hazard Mitigation Program. One element of this program was to get short-term mitigation in place in time for 2014 spring run-off. This was completed in most of Canmore’s mountain creeks in May 2014. Our focus is now on long-term mitigation. While significant work has been done on many creeks, Cougar Creek the most dramatic, the work completed to date was meant to protect against an event of similar size. There have been larger events in the past and the goal of the program is to install infrastructure that protects the community against these potential larger events that may occur in the future.

Hazard & Risk Map - Canmore's Mountain Creeks

Cougar Creek

November 2018:

Debris Flood Retention Structure

1. The pdf Environmental Impact Assessment Report (130.63 MB) was submitted to Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) in July 2016 and is currently being reviewed.
2. The Dam Safety submission was submitted to AEP in August 2016 and is being reviewed. 
3. AEP has sent the Town Supplemental Information Requests (SIR) in December 2016. The Town has submitted to AEP the pdf SIR 1 Response Package (64.12 MB) in June 2017.  The Town has also submitted pdf Post-Submission Clarifications (338 KB) in July 2017.
4. AEP has sent the Town Supplemental Information Requests (SIR) 2 in October 2017.  The Town has submitted to AEP the pdf SIR 2 Response Package (14.38 MB) in December 2017.  Moreover, the Town has also submitted an pdf EIA Project Update (7.48 MB) in December 2017 which describes design changes made to the Structure since the submission of the EIA.
5. AEP has sent the Town Supplemental Information Requests (SIR) 3 in March 2018.  The Town has submitted to AEP the pdf SIR 3 Response Package (303 KB) in March 2018.
6. The pdf EIA (226 KB) has been deemed complete by AEP on March 23, 2018.
7. The Town has applied to the NRCB and AEP for the construction of the Structure on April 11, 2018 and the NRCB had provided the following pdf Notice of Application (119 KB) .
8. The NRCB has issued approval for the Cougar Creek debris flood retention structure on November 15, 2018.  The following pdf news release (133 KB) and pdf background information (129 KB) has been issued by NRCB.  The complete pdf Board decision (2.77 MB) is a 90 page document outlining the decision process and the conditions of approval.
9. The next step is for the Town of submit a Water Act application to AEP.

Peaks of Grassi (X,Y,Z) Creeks and Echo Canyon Creek 

November 2018:

1. The Town received funding to be able to complete the hazard and risk assessment of X, Y, Z creeks (above the Peaks of Grassi) and Echo Creek Canyon (near Alpine Club of Canada).
2. A consultant has been selected and the project was awarded on April 2nd, 2018. 
3. Field work was completed in May and June of 2018.  Analysis of all the available information is underway.  The draft hazard and risk reports are being reviewed by the Town of Canmore and third-party reviewers.
4. Council presentation of the results is planned for early 2019.  Moreover, a public presentation with Q&A session will follow shortly after Council.  Information will be publicly posted once the dates are confirmed.

The project should be completed soon after the presentations.

Pigeon Creek

January 2018:

1. All the work involving the Town of Canmore is now complete. This includes the hazard and risk assessments, as well as the Option Analysis.
2. The short-term mitigation work, led by the MD of Bighorn will be completed by summer 2018.

Stone Creek

April 2017:

1. All phases of work on Stone Creek are now complete. The long-term mitigation work will be undertaken at a later date still to be determined.

Stoneworks Creek

October 2018:

1. The design of the Stoneworks Creek long-term mitigation phase 1 is complete.  This first phase of mitigation is to protect existing development.
2. The Town has applied for a grant to the Alberta Community Resilience Program (ACRP) which is a multi-year grant program supporting the development of long-term resilience to flood and drought events. Project priority and approval is based on eligibility criteria, economic and technical feasibility, and benefit to the community and the environment. Each fiscal year, projects will be selected by Alberta Environment and Parks based on an assessment of the project’s longevity, mitigated risk, historical damage, urgency and environmental impacts. Distribution of funding between communities and local priority will be considered as part of this assessment. Approved projects are announced in the spring of each year.
3. Construction work on phase 1 is currently planned for 2019/2020, pending ACRP grant funding approval.

Three Sisters Creek

October 2018:

1. Flood rehabilitation and mitigation of the lower reach of Three-Sisters Creek, between the Bow River and the pedestrian bridge was substantially completed in September 2018. The work consisted of:

   a)  Armoring of the creek banks damaged in 2013 with large rock rip rap placed in an interlocking manner (stone pitching)
   b)  Stone pitching of the pedestrian bridge abutments and a small section of creek bank upstream of the bridge
   c)  Removal of some trees directly upstream of the pedestrian bridge to minimize future culvert and bridge blockage issues
        by trees
   d)  Adding a missing lock block directly upstream of the parkway culvert
   e)  Stone pitching a section of the curved bank downstream of the parkway culvert
   f)  Re-seeding the area with deep rooted grasses to increase resiliency  

2. Minor landscaping work will take place in 2019.

3. Design of long-term mitigation for the upper reach of Three-Sisters Creek will commence after the hazard and risk assessments are updated.

    

Other Creeks

January 2018:

1. The hazard and risk assessment of Stones Canyon Creek will be completed by end of 2018.
2. A private developer has undertaken the studies of the Smith Creek area.

More Information on Steep Creeks 

To read more on Steep Creeks in the Municipal Development Plan pdf click here (4.11 MB) and reference section 3.5. To view the Steep Creek Hazard & Risk Policy pdf click here (2.83 MB) .

Resources

To view all Mountain Creek Hazard Mitigation resources click here.