This release was issued under a previous government.

McLean Creek dry dam (artist rendering)

Artist rendering of the McLean Creek dry dam

Working closely with affected communities and other key stakeholders, the Alberta government will move forward with preliminary design, environmental review, and community consultation on water diversion and storage projects along the Elbow and Highwood Rivers.

“Our government is committed to ensuring Albertans are protected as much as possible from future flood events while at the same time respecting taxpayers’ dollars.  Moving forward with the projects and funding announced today is an important step toward reducing the impact of future floods on Alberta’s people, infrastructure, economy and environment.”

Robin Campbell, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

To continue improving the province’s flood resiliency, the Alberta government has committed $600 million over the next three years to fund high priority flood mitigation projects.

Of the $600 million earmarked for flood mitigation, $325 million is allocated to the Resilience and Mitigation Program (RAMP), which funds community-level mitigation projects such as berms, dikes, and riverbank erosion control work. RAMP funding will be available to municipalities right across the province.

Mitigation project highlights

  • A southern route for the Highwood River diversion will direct flood water around High River and provide water storage options that can be used for irrigation. However, a northern route and a north-south split diversion option also remain possibilities.
  • Mitigation infrastructure projects have multi-year timelines. The next steps for infrastructure projects are preliminary designs, environmental review, and community consultation.
  • In addition to funding potential mitigation infrastructure projects, the Government of Alberta has provided over $200 million for erosion control projects in Alberta’s most flood-prone communities, with many already in progress.

The Alberta Government continues to improve the province’s flood resilency. There are currently over 100 approved flood mitigation projects, with work on many well underway.

Under the Building Alberta Plan, our government is investing in families and communities, living within our means, and opening new markets for Alberta's resources to ensure we're able to fund the services Albertans told us matter most to them. We will continue to deliver the responsible change Albertans voted for.