The Calgary Rivers Users’ Alliance (CRUA) was formed to improve recreational boating access to the Bow and Elbow Rivers in Calgary. More recently the scope of our advocacy has expanded to recreation management improvement across the Bow River Basin.
Learn more about who we are here.
Latest News
November 5, 2023NewsEvery year, the irrigation canals located throughout southern Alberta are shut off in October that results in the stranding of any fish which entered the canals during the irrigation season. As the canals drain and what little water remains freezes, and fish would die if not rescued by groups of concerned volunteers. Trout Unlimited Canada, in partnership with Alberta Environment & Protected Areas coordinate fish rescues every year. The number of fish rescued is staggering!
Over the past three years an average of 26,000 fish have been rescued from the Western Irrigation Headwaters Canal in Calgary, and 11,325 at the Bow River Irrigation Headwaters Canal at Carseland.But what contribution does the fish rescue have on the resident fish population?
Entrainment of fish in irrigation canals has been considered a major source of mortality for some fish populations. However, the magnitude of fish loss from entrainment is usually not evaluated from a broader perspective of its impact on the source fish population. A 2003 research project at the Bow River Irrigation Headwaters Canal at Carseland addressed the impact of fish entrainment in the canal on the Bow River sport fishery. A review of the research findings is available on the CRUA Resource Page that gives an account of the impact of irrigation canal entrainment on the Bow River fish population:The Carseland Canal entrains large numbers of fish every year. The three target species (rainbow trout, brown trout and whitefish) alone constituted an estimated loss of 98,510 fish of all sizes from the Bow River in 2003. Entrainment of all other species in the Carseland Canal may be between 139,977 and 1,444,928 fish. While this is a large number of fish, the impact of loss to the canal on the total population abundance of the three target species is relatively low. Our results for fish greater than 150 mm indicate that mortality due to entrainment in the canal accounts for only 0.6%, 0.5%, and 0.3% of all sources of annual mortality for rainbow trout, brown trout, and mountain whitefish, respectively. These results are similar to findings on other irrigation canals.The annual Trout Unlimited Canada fish rescue on the Carseland Canal provides a useful source of information for examining the relative change in species composition and size structure of entrained fish between years. However, our results indicate that although fish rescue is extremely efficient at capturing fish, the number of fish rescued each year is a small proportion of the total estimated entrainment. In 2003, the fish rescue volunteers recovered 9,455 of all sizes of the three target species out of 98,510 estimated to have been entrained throughout the diversion period. This represents only 9.6% of the estimated entrained target fish.The project was completed in 2003 but also used data from previous years when the Bow River fish populations were at their highest in many years. A subsequent decline in the Bow River Rainbow Trout population of 43% was reported over a 10-year period from 2003 to 2013 has heightened the fishing community’s interest in fish entrainment as a possible cause for the Bow River fish population decline.
The discussion within the report gives direction that should be considered in the interpretation of fish entrainment and consideration of what research is needed to fill in the gaps. [...]
September 27, 2023NewsIs the Bow River a safe place for recreational activities? Generally, the answer is yes, but on July 21, 2023, a failure of the Ghost Hydroelectric Plant may change your mind!
The power plant was knocked offline by a lightning strike, and water flowing through the turbines dropped to almost zero. When the power was restored to the plant two hours later, river flows were immediately increased to previous levels. A wall of water over a meter in height shot down the river. Paddlers who were on the river at the time of the event were stranded by the low flows and were confronted with eminent danger when the power plant went back online. CRUA was not aware of the catastrophic event for a month, at which time we reached out to the paddling community for additional information:
Comments: I was on the river that day. It was devastating to see it this way. Any people near the water, especially kids playing could have easily been swept away and worse when they opened the dam. I was at the edge and 20 seconds later the river was blown out and turbid worse than run-off. Boaters were stranded and when they opened the dam were swept away. I hope no one was hurt. A picture of after they opened the dam in a slow-moving section that never gets this high.
CRUA opened up engagement with Transalta, the Ghost Power Plant operator and Alberta Environment & Protected Areas for some explanation of what happened, the remedial action that was planned and why CRUA as a stakeholder in river recreation activities was not informed. It has taken two months to get all the information together in the report of the events. Our findings are stunning!
What is clear from our engagement on this event is that Transalta is not restricted in the quantity, and speed of water released from the reservoir. The only caveat under the Ghost Reservoir and Power Plant federal water license dates back to 1929, is to provide clean drinking to downstream communities.
The Alberta Government does not have any oversight legislation under the Alberta Water Act to intervene in Transalta’s water management practices in the interest of protecting the fishery, and human safety. But rather concede to the historical Ghost Reservoir license from 1929 that was enshrined into the Alberta Water Act as having precedence over the act itself.
With apparently no plans for an upgrade in public safety procedures by Transalta, and no oversight by the Government of Alberta, and a similar event was to take place below the Bearspaw Reservoir in the summer months a very large number of recreational floaters and anglers would be at risk. The Report’s Abstract:
The Bow River water management policy consists of a working relationship between all primary water users and the Government of Alberta (GoA). Upstream of Calgary, Transalta has control over all reservoir capacity and water flows out of their hydroelectric power plants. The City of Calgary and the irrigation districts downstream have water allocation rights within federal water licenses and the GoA. Water is released or held back within the Bow River Basin reservoirs to meet projected demand.
The Ghost Hydroelectric Power Plant is one of several Bow River power plants employing a practice referred to as “hydropeaking” that allows Transalta to ramp up water discharge from the reservoir to increase electrical power supply during high seasonal and daily demands. The Bearspaw Reservoir downstream acts as a cushion from the hydropeaking effects and stabilizes water flows within and downstream of Calgary giving rise to safe and expanding river recreation opportunities.
On July 21, 2023, the Transalta Ghost Reservoir Hydroelectric Power Plant received a lightning strike knocking out the operation of the power plant and flows through the turbines stopped. When the operating system was corrected two hours later, an immediate discharge of 110 cms of water resumed putting paddlers at risk when a wall of water over one meter in height went down the river.
An event of this nature should fit into a protocol where federal and provincial authorities are immediately informed, and the remedial action that the holder of the license will take to improve safety, protect the ecology of the river, and improve safety. Both Transalta, the power plant operator, and Alberta Environment & Protected Areas were contacted for comment on the event. CRUA was hoping for guidelines that would alleviate a similar situation happening again.
Transalta Response: “…We share your concern about what might have happened, and we appreciate your efforts to engage us about it”. And “…TransAlta understands its responsibilities as a hydro operator on the Bow River system and takes these responsibilities extremely seriously. Despite our efforts to manage the safety of our operations, we also appreciate that maintaining public safety where we operate is a shared responsibility”.
Alberta Environment & Protected Area Response: “…TransAlta holds an Environment and Protected Areas (EPA) water license for the reservoir, and they are expected to follow the terms and conditions within that license. TransAlta’s water license at the Ghost Reservoir has no conditions that require TransAlta to report or notify the Government of Alberta prior to any events.
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June 27, 2023NewsThe Harvie Passage Facility Enhancement Plan (HPFEP) that is going to the Calgary’s Community Development Committee Meeting, for approval on Wednesday June 28, 2023. And once approved will be presented to Calgary City Council for approval in July. The Task Force that was put in place to develop the HPFEP in the fall of 2021 and has met 10 times since then. CRUA and Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA) provided the bulk of the river user related recommendations, and we are happy to see the City of Calgary putting $900k towards the first steps in development, or the quick win items. Long term pressure will need to continue in order to see other pieces happen that will ultimately determine the overall success of the facility.
The following link, Task Force Presentation is a 10-page document that summarizes the HPFEP and will be presented to the Community Development Committee. In addition, the link to the Facility Enhancement Plan is a 70-page document details the full scope of the proposed future developments.
Michael Holroyd, Executive Director, AWA will speak to the Community Development Committe in support of the plan, the quick wins budget, ongoing safety needs, and the perseverance required by the City of Calgary to see the full plan through to fruition.
We are close to being able to install at Personal Flotation Device (PFD) Lending Station at Harvie Passage, with just a few more regulatory hoops to jump through. Our goal is to have PFDs available to the public in the coming weeks, as well as an AED on-site.
CRUA is thankful to Michael, Mark Taylor, and Peter Crowe-Swords for the leadership and dedication to this project, as well as all those within the river user community who have been part of the Harvie Passage Whitewater Park saga since 2000.
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April 23, 2023NewsCalgary’s river valleys are essential to our city—they’re at the core of our city’s identity and its appeal as a place to live, play and do business.
The City is planning for the future of our river valleys through the Calgary River Valleys Project. The purpose of the project is to guide how we plan, use, conserve and build in our river valleys, with a focus on coordinated and purposeful land use policies.
This is an opportunity for you to voice what is important to you about the city’s river valleys, to ensure that those values shape approaches to development, recreation, natural space and flood hazard planning.
Engagement is open April 27 – June 5, focused on clarifying priorities and values for our river valley communities. Participate in the conversation at Calgary.ca/RiverValleys. [...]
February 21, 2023NewsCalgary River Users Alliance (CRUA) is reaching out to river user to assist with the development of a strategy for the future of the Bow River Basin’s recreational river use.
The CRUA position is to advocate for regional river access improvements and to work closely with our membership organization who have a vested interest in specific sites to meet this goal. It takes considerable time on the part of all stakeholders to ultimately get a successful outcome. We need your help to develop A Vision for the Lower Bow River
In the past year CRUA had success in developing the Harvie Passage Task Force and have laid the groundwork for a river access strategy for the Upper Bow River from Ghost to Bearspaw Reservoirs. Both projects have been headed up by Alberta Whitewater Association, under the umbrella of CRUA.
The Lower Bow River needs the same focus, and we believe there are anglers and paddlers who could contribute to this project. We need your help to make it happen.
Please contact us at for additional information as to how you can help.
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Bow River Flow Forecast
