| A Southern Alberta environmentalist says the provincial government is wasting its money with another study on damming the Milk River, and it’s being done simply to appease some area landowners.
But a member of the organization that asked for the study says there isn’t much of a future for the region if the Milk River isn’t harnessed in some way.
Cheryl Bradley of the Southern Alberta Environmental Group says an ongoing study into methods of storing and using Milk River water for municipal and agricultural purposes, which was commissioned by the provincial government, is a half-hearted look at an issue that has been studied and rejected several times over the past 80 years. She thinks the government is only conducting the study to appease the Milk River Basin Water Management Committee – a group of 11 area residents who have pushed for the study for several years.
"I think it’s a complicated and expensive way of erecting a gravestone on the whole issue," she says. "It’s all very confusing. It’s very confusing to know who has the ear of the (environment) minister."
Bradley suspects there’s little chance a dam will ever be built on the Milk River because it would be difficult to justify the cost. She says she’s not opposed to the idea of using Milk River water in different ways, if they are environmentally responsible, but says the current study doesn’t look at all the options.
"You establish a basin planning process and make sure you have all the stakeholders involved and you look at all the options," she says. "Then, the decision on whether to proceed will rest on a cost benefit analysis of the whole study."
Shirley Bray of the Alberta Wilderness Association says there are many environmental concerns related to building a dam on the Milk River, including the fact that its proposed location is in a protected area.
"We believe there are other ways of accessing river water than a dam," she adds.
The provincial government acknowledges that earlier studies rejected a Milk River dam based on the expense, but has stated it is looking at the issue again in light of "changes in technology, environmental sciences," and to "obtain input from the public to enhance the knowledge base for a more informed decision."
Tom Gilchrist, the director of the Milk River Basin Water Management Committee, praised the government for responding to his organization’s request for the study. He says his group doesn’t necessarily support a dam, but sees the study as a good first step towards harnessing the Milk River.
"The study, I think, has excellent parameters because it looks at two choices for regulating use of the river – onstream and offstream," Gilchrist says.
He acknowledged that putting huge amounts of public money into a massive river project for the benefit of a few people would be a tough sell, but argues that without some way of securing more reliable waters sources – the Milk River actually dried up for several months last year – the area faces a difficult future.
"This area... is very thinly populated and the only way we’re going to continue the rural and urban communities in a viable fashion is to get some movement going and the only source we have is the Milk River," Gilchrist says. "The towns are gradually shrinking and the schools are gradually shrinking, so we need to do something." |
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