The Bear Creek Reservoir was a hot topic of discussion during Grande Prairie City Council’s Committee Meetings on March 19th.
The reservoir in Muskoseepi Park has been a heavily debated item among councillors and has been without water for a number of years and now, is not scheduled to be refilled until 2026.
In 2022, council opted to spend an additional $885K on repairs to the structure and the number has been budgeted for the past two years.
“It is in the budget, it’s a tentative number because we really don’t know what needs to be done, and then the cost of it will of course come at a later time when we get a better idea of those costs,” Deputy Mayor Gladys Blackmore says.
Blackmore expressed her frustrations regarding the dam saying “other levels of government” continue to slow down the city’s ability to undertake the project.
“Unfortunately, there are other levels of government that impede our ability to bring the reservoir up to its true aesthetic look as soon as we would like,” she says. “Until we address the issue of cladding the dam, we’re really stuck with the fact that we’re only going to have a creek flowing through that.”
Hopes remain high, however, and Blackmore says the city is moving forward to mitigate the issues the city faces due to the red tape surrounding the project.
“It is unfortunate,” she says. “It is my hope that we can get the reservoir up to its full level of water, prior to 2026.”
The reservoir was originally constructed in 1947 to provide a water source to the city, and due to its age, officials say it is likely the dam will be subject to significant maintenance issues.
“The reservoir dam was built in 1944, so it has served the city well, and it would not be surprising if there are cladding issues there quite frankly,” Blackmore says.
As it stands, the reservoir is likely to remain empty until at least 2026.