The other day I got an email asking about flood plans for the city, and so I am sharing this. There are maps showing what a 1: 100 flood level could be, and future plans to help mitigate a 1: 200 year flood. The Springbank off-stream reservoir is under construction, and slated to be done by 2025. This will give downtown Calgary more protection, and time to prepare for any future flooding.
*
As a river city, we will always need to prepare, respond and adapt to floods. And the pressures of a changing climate only bring a greater risk of more severe and frequent flooding. That’s why building resilience to flooding is one of our top priorities.
Calgary’s flood resilience plan uses a three-layered approach where all the elements working together will reduce our flood risk and make Calgary more resilient.
Upstream flood protection on the Bow and Elbow Rivers:
Reservoirs hold back water, slowing the flow of the river during floods.
Community-level flood protection:
Permanent flood mitigation infrastructure, like the Glenmore Dam and flood barriers, along with floodplain land use policies to guide how we plan and develop in river communities.
Property-level flood protection:
Improved building regulations and guidelines along with public education improve the resilience of properties and the people who live and work in river communities.
Every spring, we actively monitor the rivers for flooding. We also continuously improve our flood forecasting to provide Calgarians with the earliest possible warning.
Our flood emergency response measures are updated every year ensuring we’re ready to respond quickly.
Learn what progress we’ve made in our 2021 Flood Resiliency and Mitigation Annual Update.
To learn more about how the plan was created, see Developing Calgary’s Flood Resilience Plan.
