Priddis residents want answers
Burst dam blamed for flood damage to homes
By Laurel Nadon
Staff Reporter
Residents want answers for why a dam broke near Priddis June 18, sending
a surge of water toward their homes.
The dam, located northwest of the hamlet, broke at approximately 7:30
p.m. and the water that was unleashed damaged about 50 properties.
Between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., a four-foot wall of water came through the
lower level of Barclay Hunter’s home, located one kilometre west
of the hamlet along Priddis Creek.
Hunter said they were aware the creek was in a flood state and had constructed
a sand bag berm near their home.
“We were holding our own and then a surge of water came over the
sandbag berm like there was nothing there,” he said.
He estimates the damage to his home is between $60,000 and $70,000 for
contents and structural damage. He’s registered with the Alberta
disaster program, but hasn’t yet received information back.
Residents met June 26 and July 6 to discuss what questions they want answered.
Hunter said he’d just like to understand what happened.
“We want to know the issues. Was it an act of God or was there some
issues with construction of the dam? There could have been loss of life
and more serious consequences,” Hunter said. “This isn’t
a witch hunt or a money grab. I want to make sure that the dam is put
back properly and that there is a proper emergency management plan.”
He said he would like to see a higher standard met for the engineering
of the dam and is also concerned that residents weren’t warned of
the situation.
The dam is located on land owned by the Priddis Greens Golf Course, which
is responsible for maintenance. The golf course is required to complete
a follow up report after inspections to show that any concerns have been
met.
Alberta Environment spokesperson Robert Moyles said they’re now
investigating to ensure the owners met the requirements under their operating
licence and the law. He said that dams are inspected every five to seven
years and owners aren’t given a set time to comply unless there’s
a major issue.
The dam, which is licenced with Alberta Environment and built in 1986,
was last inspected June 19, 2003. The condition was assessed as fair.
“We identified some issues they needed to follow up with and they
were doing that when this (the flood) happened,” Moyles said. “We
were satisfied that they were making progress. Sometimes these things
take time for people to budget for.”
The issues included that a spillway pipe was plugged, there was slumping
in some of the land and there was a lack of adequate protection on a steep
slope.
Moyles said that downstream residents did receive a warning, in the form
of streamflow advisories, flood watches and warnings.
“You can’t predict something failing, especially in flood
situations,” he said.
Alberta Environment expects the result of their investigation to be available
by mid-August.
Korinna Dvorkin, whose mother Christine Smed lives below the golf course,
said the land suffered extensive damage and they were under mandatory
evacuation during flooding.
The flood waters took out fence lines, moved two buildings, sent three
feet of water into the barn area and took out a paved road. Even their
animals were disrupted after the goat house was destroyed; the goat now
lives in the doghouse and the dogs live in the house.
“When the dam broke, it offered so much force that it was like getting
hit by a waterfall. We want compensation because our land’s destroyed,”
Dvorkin said. “I would like them (the MD) to participate and find
out exactly what happened. We need the truth behind why the dam broke
and who’s going to be responsible for the excessive damage because
we lost a lot.”
In a letter from resident Al Taylor which was sent to Alberta Environment
and reviewed by council at its meeting July 7, Taylor said he doesn’t
want to see the dam rebuilt.
The letter states that the dam may have been improperly constructed as
it contained a sand plug which showed defects from early on.
Taylor said that there should be an investigation and a public hearing
identifying the cause of the dam burst before any new permit to reconstruct
or repair the dam is issued.
MD of Foothills Municipal Manager Harry Riva Cambrin said, “They
have a licenced dam and as along as they meet environmental standards,
they can rebuild.”
He said that everyone affected by the flood can apply for disaster funding.
“There are a number of dams that went or are damaged,” Riva
Cambrin said, noting that dams are designed in accordance with environment
standards. “Maybe it wasn’t maintained, we don’t know.
None of them are designed to take what happened three weeks ago.”
Councillor Terry Waddock asked if the MD has any responsibility in monitoring
dams in the MD and Riva Cambrin said no.
“I think it’s not for us to licence it, but the fact that
it affects property owners downstream in the MD, we should request that
they (the dams) be properly maintained to prevent this from happening
again,” said Councillor Ralph Nelson.
Council unanimously decided to acknowledge the letter from the resident.
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Nice start to Stampede
Fred Edey of Longview takes down his
steer in 4.9 seconds on Sunday at the first-go of the Calgary Stampede
steer wrestling event. See Sports on page 22 for complete rodeo coverage.
photo by Ryan Laverty
London bombings hit close to home
By Laurel Nadon
Staff Reporter
 One
Okotoks family watched coverage of the London bombings last week in
horror knowing their loved ones were in danger.
Three bombs exploded on the London Underground almost simultaneously
Thursday, July 7 leaving more than 50 commuters dead and 700 injured.
The MacKays watched and waited for news of their family.
Paige MacKay, a 2005 graduate from the Foothills Composite High School,
and her mother Myra left for London as a grad trip on July 3.
They had gone to the theatre the night before the bombings and had
slept in, missing their first train. Thankfully, the mother and daughter
caught another train and were heading into London when people around
them started talking frantically on cell phones. They reached Myra’s
uncle John, who told them to get off the train and go back on a return
line. They later discovered that the bombings occurred when they meant
to be on a train that morning.
Myra’s husband Gus and children Laine and Mark waited Thursday
for word from Myra and Paige. Paige’s aunt Pat Shilmar said
that in the afternoon, the family received an encouraging e-mail from
London.
“We just thank God they’re safe. They’re just real
troopers and treating it like an experience,” Shilmar said.
“They have no intention of canceling any of their plans. In
a way, we were hoping they would just fly home and be safe, but thank
goodness they have relatives there who know the area.”
Myra’s mother Margaret, who was flying in from Newfoundland
to meet them in London, was on a train 20 minutes outside of Heathrow
Airport when all the underground trains were stopped and evacuated
after the first bombing. She managed to find a hotel nearby and was
later reunited with family.
She added that it sounds like there is still a lot of stress in London.
“The people are defiant and aren’t going to let anything
like this stop their way of life,” Shilmar said. “I would
hope it would make people more aware of the surroundings, but it shouldn’t
limit what you do.”
She said the bombings show that these days you can expect the unexpected
wherever you go.
“I think it’s despicable they’re targeting tourists
and innocent people,” she said.
On Saturday, Paige and Myra were also evacuated from Birmingham along
with 20,000 residents after authorities heard there was a possibility
of a bomb attack. A suspicious object was disarmed and officers concluded
there was no explosive device. The mother and daughter are now heading
on a bus trip in Scotland and return to Okotoks July 29.
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In this issue...
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Legend Retires -
Doyle Mullaney hangs up his chuckwagon reins
See Sports
Okotoks makes impact
‘Big Rock’ plays a part in comet research
• See News
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