Steep mountain creeks create a unique public safety risk during a flood because extreme flows can bring down large rocks, trees and other debris with little or no warning. With so many homes and businesses and so much critical infrastructure sitting along or near Cougar Creek, Canmore, a new dam was needed to keep the area safe.
Thanks in large part to provincial funding, the new Cougar Creek Debris Flood Retention Structure will now protect the community by capturing mountain debris and significantly reducing water flows in the event of a severe flood. Alberta’s government provided $46 million for the $76.7 million project to support Canmore’s long-term flood mitigation strategy and better protect families and businesses from floods.
The Cougar Creek Debris Flood Retention Structure, shown here nearing completion in October, sits 600 metres upstream of Canmore’s Cougar Creek neighbourhood. Photo credit: Town of Canmore
“Today marks an important milestone for the Town of Canmore and the long-term flood resilience of this community. The Cougar Creek Debris Flood Retention Structure is now in place to help ensure the safety of people living, working and visiting Canmore and prevent a repeat of the destruction seen in the 2013 floods. We will keep working to protect Canmore and all Albertans from drought and floods.”
“For generations to come, the structure will serve as a crucial part of Canmore’s flood mitigation strategy to make our community better prepared when future flood waters rise. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our provincial and federal partners for helping make this ambitious project a reality.”
The Cougar Creek Debris Flood Retention Structure will help protect homes, commercial buildings, highways 1 and 1A, and railway and utility infrastructure. The design and construction of the Cougar Creek Debris Flood Retention Structure was led by the Town of Canmore.
Alberta’s government continues to help protect communities from the impacts of droughts and floods. The five-year, $125-million Drought and Flood Protection program is helping municipalities and Indigenous communities protect critical infrastructure from flooding and drought and improve public safety. The application deadline for Round 2 of funding is Nov. 29.
Quick facts
- The Cougar Creek Debris Flood Retention Structure is a 34-metre-high rock-filled embankment dam located at the point where Cougar Creek exits the mountains, 600 metres upstream of Canmore’s Cougar Creek neighbourhood.
- Alberta’s government provided about $27 million from the Alberta Community Resilience Program and $19 million from the Flood Recovery Erosion Control Program.
- The government also approved a $9.5-million Alberta Community Resilience Program grant to the Town of Canmore and Municipal District of Bighorn in October 2020 for the Bow Valley Steep Creek Mitigation Program. Funding will support debris flood mitigation works on several creeks in both municipalities.
- The Alberta government produces alluvial fan studies and maps to help Albertans and affected communities anticipate potential hazards. Alluvial fan maps are available on Alberta’s Flood Awareness Map Application.