Protecting Edmonton's Water Treatment Plants from flooding

Find out how we work to protect Edmonton's Water Treatment Plants from the impacts of a one in 500 year flood.

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​Protecting the water supply for 90+ communities

Edmonton water treatment plants flood mitigation project

With the risk of major flooding becoming more uncertain, EPCOR is taking action to protect the water supply for Edmonton and more than 90 surrounding communities. Both of Edmonton’s water treatment plants — E.L. Smith and Rossdale — are along the North Saskatchewan River floodplain.

We are proposing a project that will lessen the chance of catastrophic damage to the region's treatment plants during a North Saskatchewan River flood and help us resume water treatment as quickly as possible after a flood.

The Edmonton Water Treatment Plants Flood Mitigation Project will protect the region's drinking water supply by:

  • Installing flood barriers to protect water treatment equipment, such as transformers and pumps, and below-grade treated water reservoirs
  • Preventing river water from backing up into the plants by installing flood gates into existing plant drainage pipes that discharge to the river
  • Increasing protection to critical assets or relocating them to higher ground within the plants

    From 2024–2028, we plan to construct flood barriers that include a combination of grass-covered embankments and flood walls, both topped with security fencing. These barriers were designed with input from Indigenous partners and local communities while meeting technical requirements, reducing the impacts to vegetation and wildlife, and minimizing the cost to ratepayers.

      Flood barriers

      Learn how we're protecting our two water treatment plants from flooding:

      Rossdale Water Tre​at​​ment Plant

      Project background and map
      Types of flood barriers​

      E.L. Smith​ Water Tre​at​​ment Plant

      Project background and map
      Types of flood barriers​

      Vegetation management

      We recognize the concern that the implementation of this project may lead to the loss of some trees and vegetation near the barriers of both Water Treatment Plants.

      Rest assured, we have plans in place to replace the removed vegetation with an even larger area of greenery.

      Tree removal
      Caring for the River Valley
      Conceptual maps
      Honouring traditional ecological knowledge

      Other preventative measures 

      Increasing protection to critical assets
      Preventing river water from backing up in the region's Water Treatment Plants​

      Engagement opportunities

      In May 2021, EPCOR initiated public and Indigenous engagement to understand how we can best integrate the required flood barriers into certain locations around the plants. We recently concluded the second phase of engagement. See past engagement opportunities and the materials we provided to the public.

      Project and engagement timeline
      How we make decisions
      What we've been doing
      Next steps

      What we heard

      Thank you to everyone who h​​as provided feedback to-date. There's still time to get involved! Read through the below what we heard reports. Then, let us know if there’s anything else you’d like us to consider by taking the online survey. ​

      Community feedback and report: Rossdale
      Community feedback and report: E.L. Smith
      Indigenous perspectives and report

      Contact us

      Your questions, input and feedback are important to us. We want to hear from you so that we can design flood barriers to protect the region's Water Treatment Plants that integrate into your community as much as possible while being mindful of costs

      Contact EPCOR

      Phone: 780-412-4200
      Email: epcorprojects@epcor.co​m

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