Action Alert: Alberta seeking input on Ardley Reservoir

ANSWER:

The Red Deer River falls in the parkland ecoregion, one of the least protected and most endangered ecoregions in Alberta. As of 2025, only 21.4 percent of parkland was considered under natural cover, based on a satellite analysis by Alberta Prairie Conservation Forum. According to the Alberta government, only 1.7 percent of this area is protected.

The Red Deer River is fed primarily by snowmelt from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, with minimal input from glacier melt. While many of the surrounding areas are under heavy agricultural use, there remain pockets of native vegetation in the study area. Downstream of the proposed dam site are several protected areas, including the Tolman Heritage Rangelands Natural Area, Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, Midland Provincial Park, and Dinosaur Provincial Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site). These areas contain many rare and at-risk species, including lake sturgeon (Threatened in Alberta) and Franklin’s ground squirrel (a parkland specialist). These downstream areas will be negatively affected by the construction of a reservoir.

What environmental impacts do you expect?

ANSWER:

Building a dam has many negative environmental impacts.

Flooding the river valley will destroy riparian vegetation and forests along the riverbanks. This will result in the loss of a highly diverse ecosystem and the numerous benefits it provides, like maintaining water quality, reducing bank erosion, recharging groundwater and soil moisture, and providing important services for flood control. The dam will also flood sections of native parkland that remain along the river. Flooding these ecosystems will displace wildlife and fragment habitat. The construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning of the dam will also result in significant greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime, further contributing to climate change.

Dams and reservoirs also affect downstream water quality by blocking the release of nutrients and sediment downstream and acting as a barrier to the movement of fish, aquatic insects, and other organisms. Reservoirs alter the timing and volume of water available downstream, which negatively impacts the instream flow needs of the river and the species that rely on it. The loss of sediment, trapped by the dam, also increases erosion as the water becomes sediment-starved. Lower water levels can concentrate contaminants and toxins, worsen temperature regulation, and degrade water quality.

Many downstream areas, including the protected areas along the Red Deer River, are expected to be impacted by the loss of water and degradation of quality. For instance, low water levels can lead to warmer water temperatures and concentration of nutrients, creating perfect conditions for algal blooms and fish kills (as occurred in Europe in 2022). The loss of flooding also impacts the riparian habitat, affecting plant survival and reproduction. For example, cottonwoods, a tree species that relies on flood to spread seeds and reproduce, will be impacted by the loss of water flow. Low water levels can be highly detrimental to the aquatic and riparian ecosystems.

Additionally, reservoirs, especially newly created reservoirs, produce carbon dioxide, contributing to the climate crisis. With a warming climate, we are expecting to experience increasingly severe droughts and floods. This and other cumulative effects of reservoirs, irrigation, and development must be considered for how they will impact the ecosystem.

If a reservoir must be built, we ask that consideration be given to minimizing these impacts. Fish ladders have shown some success in allowing particular species to travel past the barrier presented by the dam. In-stream flow needs — the amount of water quantity and quality needed to maintain a healthy aquatic environment —  must be met at all times, and sufficient water must be released from the dam to meet the requirements of downstream water users and ecosystems. Where mitigation proves impossible, offsets must be considered. For instance, restoration and protection of parkland elsewhere should be allowed in place of parkland lost due to this dam and other projects in the area.

ANSWER:

The river is often used for recreation. This would be heavily impacted by the creation of a dam. To compensate, more protected areas along the Red Deer River and in other parkland or river valleys should be created, where similar recreational activities can be pursued.

Dams also create a false sense of security about water. They can intensify water use under the belief that there is an abundance of water, even when reserves are running low. Research has described two trends observed following the construction of reservoirs: the “supply-demand cycle,” whereby “increasing water supply enables higher water demand,” which can counteract any initial increases in water availability created by reservoirs; and the “reservoir effect,” which refers “to cases where overreliance on reservoirs increases vulnerability, and therefore increases the potential damage caused by droughts” (Baldassarre et al., 2018).  Alberta must work to be more efficient with water use and prioritize meeting the needs of rivers first to ensure they remain robust and resilient and can continue providing for future generations.

ANSWER:

The Red Deer River has a long history, with the surrounding area historically supporting settlements and river crossings, as well as buffalo jumps. Indigenous consultation and a historic resource impact assessment must be undertaken to determine the full scope of cultural and historical impacts of the proposal. These sites should be explored before project construction begins to map any unique or historical artifacts. Traditional knowledge must meaningfully inform the feasibility study.

ANSWER:

There will be a cost to building and maintaining the reservoir, in addition to the $4.5 million already designated to studying the potential for reservoir building. Dam construction usually costs millions of dollars, and maintenance is an ongoing cost that needs to be accounted for. Much of Canada’s infrastructure is already reported as aging and at risk of failure, with an estimated $150 billion to $1 trillion deficit. Otherwise, dam failures can threaten downstream residents and cause greater damage. The cost of long-term maintenance cannot be ignored for this and other dams that are already starting to age.

There will also be incalculable economic losses associated with the loss of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and ecological integrity in the watershed. Reductions in water quality, carbon storage, temperature regulation, and natural disaster mitigation will result in significant long-term costs to society.

In addition, the diversion of water could impact irrigators and water users. Reservoirs concentrate water, which increases surface area and therefore evaporation rates. In this way, reservoirs often lose more water than rivers, where water is shaded by the riparian ecosystem and some excess is stored in soils and roots. In the South Saskatchewan River Basin, water has already been overallocated, with insufficient water remaining in sections of the Bow and Oldman Rivers during dry years. Although the Red Deer River is not considered overallocated, Alberta acknowledges that water deficiencies are possible in the lower sections, and dams could severely impact downstream flow needs. Studies have indicated that Alberta will be prone to increased water scarcity in the near future, so any additional allocations could affect overall water availability and use.

Which option do you think could provide the most benefit:

A – Low Reservoir Option: Smaller reservoir with a smaller footprint

B – High Reservoir Option: Larger reservoir with more storage capacity

C – Extended Reservoir Option: Largest reservoir with the greatest storage but also more complexity

Any

None

ANSWER:

None.

We support investment into natural solutions, particularly the protection and  restoration of parkland regions, wetlands, and riparian ecosystems throughout the watershed, which would not only provide vital habitat and ecological services, but also require less investment over the long term. Ecological restoration practices upstream, such as replanting riparian habitat, adding large wood and rock features, re-meandering and reopening stream channels, and restoring and retaining floodplains, wetlands, forests, and beavers on the landscape are incredibly effective strategies for absorbing water and slow flows, which mitigates negative effects downstream.

Protecting and investing in native ecosystems increases the landscape’s functional storage of water without the need for new dams and reservoirs. With even a fraction of the costs, the work could begin immediately, and the benefits of this approach would be plentiful. A healthy environment provides invaluable ecosystem services, including increased air, water, and soil quality, nutrient retention, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, recreation value, and temperature regulation.

ANSWER:

Strongly disagree.

ANSWER:

This dam needs to be considered not only for the potential benefits and drawbacks under current scenarios, but given the costs of maintenance and impacts for the long-term, needs to determine whether this investment is worthwhile for the next few decades. There are many other infrastructure projects that could be considered, including maintenance of our aging infrastructure and investment into natural solutions. Reservoirs have many detrimental impacts, and in other parts of the world, such as Europe and the United States, dams are being dismantled as the consequences for communities and ecosystems become increasingly clear. Thus, the necessity and cost of this dam, as well as the harms it could cause, need to be carefully considered.