A National Park Manager's Viewpoint on River Management

A twinned highway runs side-by-side with the Bow River through Banff National Park

Based partly on a speech given by Dr. Bruce Leeson
Chief, Environmental Assessment Division
Canadian Heritage
October 14, 1995

New development and human activity along the Bow River has lent some urgency to Parks Canada's involvement with water management.

Task Force

A two-year special task force has been formed to study the Bow Corridor. Will the amount of development and the amount of activity approved for the Banff area damage the Bow River? This task force under Dr. Robert Page of the University of Calgary will report directly to the Minister of the Environment.

Highways

There are several activities in the Bow Valley that could affect the quality of the Bow River. The twinning of the TransCanada Highway for 18 km past Sunshine will have direct contact with the river.

Plans call for special run-off technology to keep road salt from directly entering the river, but we worry about toxic substances being transported on the roads and railways. The park is planning a simulated response to a highway spill of hazardous material into the Bow River. The park is also looking for alternate road de-icing products.

At one location along the new highway, a spawning bed for eastern brook trout will be destroyed. What should we do? The parks policy says that nothing is to be done to protect or enhance introduced species such as Brook trout.

Sewage Treatment

The sewage treatment plant at Lake Louise is already at capacity for the summer season, yet a new conference centre for 350 people is proposed for the Chateau Lake Louise. The Banff golf course is planning to expand to 36 holes from the present 9 holes, and this will require more irrigation, attract more people and require more sewage treatment. Both the Lake Louise and Banff sewage treatment plants malfunctioned last year and released untreated effluent directly into the Bow River.

Bar U National Historic Ranch

The newly acquired 148 hectare Bar U National Historic Ranch is located along Pekisko Creek. This creek flows into the Highwood River and eventually into the Bow River.

Pekisko Creek is a very important spawning stream for the trout in the Bow River. Unfortunately, the creek has suffered under 100 years of intense ranching and has very badly damaged shorelines.

Unrestricted cattle access has left us with large cottonwoods but no younger trees. The large cottonwoods will be gone in 50 years and then what will we have left? The area already looks like a mowed lawn right down to the water.

Our goal is to restore Pekisko Creek as an example of how agriculture can be in harmony with the environment. We plan on demonstrating to thousands of visitors each year that the ranch can be compatible for all users.