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EDMONTON – After reviewing multiple options the Alberta government has decided to relocate the Bow River Reservoir to the Ghost Dam location rather than Glenbow East.

The decision was made to relocate to Ghost Dam, a release said, due to lower cost, ability to mitigate future droughts and floods, and fewer social and environmental impacts.

“Increasing water storage capacity is critical to protecting Calgary and other communities along the Bow River from future floods and drought. Based on the data collected in the study, one option, the relocated Ghost Dam, is clearly the best choice to move forward with,” provincial Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz said.

The 2013 Calgary flood caused more than $5 billion in damage in Calgary. The Ghost Dam relocation has a smaller project footprint and fewer overall impacts to the environment, property and infrastructure, while providing comparable water storage to the Glenbow East option, the release said.

“The Glenbow East option posed higher risks to downstream communities during construction, including Calgary. Its earthfill dam would also be more susceptible to erosion and failure during large flood events compared to the relocated Ghost Dam, which is a concrete gravity dam,” the release added.

The Alberta government will now move on to the next phase of the project which involves engineering and regulatory approval.

Along with the Bow River Reservoir the provincial government is also developing the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir to provide protection along the Elbow River in Calgary and other downstream communities as part of an overall flood mitigation system, the release said.