FW: concerns - SR1

Good afternoon,

Re; SR1 dry diversion - changes to information during the NRCB hearing

1. The dam takes 30-40 days to drain and during that time the shoreline will be producing fugitive dust with our constant winds. Biologists are supposed to be stunning fish and removing them.  Fugitive dust is an invisible occupational health hazard.  This means that the tourism months of June, July, August will have unacceptable levels of invisible dust at the very least in a tourism corridor.
2. A high water table reduces the weight the land can take by ¾.  This area has a high water table.  Has that been accounted for?  It has not been mentioned.
3. During flood season basements flood at 8’-0.  If the channel is 82’-20’ deep how will it not fill with groundwater?  Therefore the channel can not take the same amount of water off the river flow.  Will it always be partially full of water?  Is this a hazard?
4. The fact that the air quality tests now show an unacceptable level of fugitive dust and the maps show that it goes into Calgary and to the schools, how is this going to be controlled?
5. Alberta Environment was not at the hearing but they are the body that will control the diversion after construction and all of the processes.  Alberta Transportation would answer all process questions that Alberta Environment will deal with it.  That is not an answer.  This included everything from Indigenous questions to emergency planning.  There were too many undefined processes and no costing included for long term maintenance and all the changes made during the hearing.
6. We went from 1 historical site to probably 50.  Historically, this area was a very important corridor between the rivers.
7. There is no compensation for affected parties due to trucks crossing through Kamp Kiwanis into the roundabout and down the highway.  This is going to create major back-ups on this busy corridor.
8. There is no plan for surveillance on this massive area of new crown land.  This area will be a fire hazard and this close to Calgary a camp ground. But this wasteland with be hazardous to health due to air and water pollution and guns. This is not in the budget.
9. This diversion takes the top off the flood and only protects fully after Glenmore Dam until the confluence.  This diversion destroys 3610-6800 acres of land while Glenmore Dam uses 700 acres and gives back with mega recreational value and protects more from flooding.

Thank you for your time in reviewing this one dimensional project.  It is a sad statement that this is the best Canada can do with its infrastructure dollars.

In the dirty 30’s, the Saskatchewan government hired men to dig out Wascana creek so they could feed their families.  They hired a Japanese landscape designer to plan the beautiful park and today it has increased the property values in Regina, is extremely well used for walking to  hosting concerts and  fireworks  and it gives flood mitigation. With this project, we are taking a huge step backwards in infrastructure design and the use of long term tax dollars.

I end with this – Infrastructure should make Alberta and Canada better, bigger, stronger.  This diversion does not.

Thank you for your time,

Jan Erisman