CALGARY – The Alberta government has announced the completion of upgrades to the Bassano Dam near Calgary, Alta.
A new emergency spillway will increase the structure’s ability to spill excess floodwater to protect it from washouts and erosion.
Provincial funding for a new spillway was announced in 2014 and was cost-shared with the Eastern Irrigation District, which owns the dam. The province of Alberta covered $30 million of the $45.4 million upgrade.
“The 2013 floods were a grim reminder of the power of nature and the need to make our infrastructure and communities more resilient. With this critical upgrade now in place, Albertans living and working in the Bassano area can be confident that Bassano Dam will continue to safely and reliably serve the local community and economy for decades to come,” provincial minister of environment and parks Jason Nixon said.
The new emergency spillway is 119 metres wide and features 10 radial gates, each measuring 10.5 metres wide by 4.1 metres tall. At maximum water levels, the combined capacity of the new and existing spillways is 7,300 cubic metres per second.
“With the existing spillway and the new emergency spillway, the Bassano Dam will be able to handle a flood 1.7 times larger than the flood of record in 2013, before having to use the fuse plug. This will allow continued supply of water to 310,000 irrigation acres, the city of Brooks, all other municipalities and all businesses within the Eastern Irrigation District, immediately after any future floods,” Eastern Irrigation District special projects manager Earl Wilson said.
According to a government of Alberta statement, the dam – originally built in 1914 – did not sustain significant damage during the 2013 floods but the limits of the previous spillway were tested.
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