Freshwater Conservation Canada opposes a new dam on the Red Deer River

Alberta’s provincial government is assessing options to increase water storage on the Red Deer River, and is currently carrying out scoping, feasibility analysis, and technical evaluations of three potential dam scenarios near Ardley, AB.

The Red Deer River is a beloved feature of central Alberta, supporting a diversity of wildlife, birds, fish, and plants, and providing invaluable benefits to society. The construction of a large dam is arguably among the most devastating impacts we can impose on a free-flowing river system, especially a large prairie river with a diverse fish community that includes migratory species, and whose valley is the only major intact wildlife corridor left in the entire region. Freshwater Conservation Canada does not support construction of new dams on Alberta rivers.

Economic Costs

The Ardley Dam would cost billions of dollars of public money to build and maintain, and the stated benefits and purposes of the dam are unclear. The province is considering drought resilience, flood mitigation, irrigation support, and municipal/industrial water supply could be reasons to build a dam and reservoir. However, operating a reservoir for one purpose (flood mitigation) can be antithetical to another (drought resilience).  

While Alberta contemplates damming the Red Deer River, other jurisdictions in the developed world (USA, Europe) have largely ceased to build projects of this sort and are increasingly undertaking dam removal projects both large and small, recognizing the severe and persistent environmental, social, and economic costs that dams have imposed on their communities, and the tremendous benefits of removing them. In just 2025, over 600 fish passage barriers (including dams) were removed in Europe, and over 100 dams removed in the USA.

Social and Environmental Costs

In addition to the staggering economic cost of this project, Alberta would lose more than 30 km of wild and free river, riparian forest, and valley bottom ecosystem, forever. Native, migratory fishes like Goldeye, Mooneye, and Redhorse would likely no longer be seen and angling opportunities for those species lost upstream of the proposed dam site, including in major tributaries like the Little Red Deer, Blindman and Medicine Rivers. Lake Sturgeon, another iconic migratory fish species that has persisted for over 70 million years can be found not far downstream from Ardley and, in small numbers, potentially upstream. Lake Sturgeon are already listed as Threatened under Alberta’s Wildlife Act.

The Red Deer River and its native fish fauna are incredible natural resources that have been shaped over millennia in central Alberta; it would be a devastating loss to the region if these iconic species were to slip away from a large portion of the basin.

It is important to recognize that, to our knowledge, not a single large dam in Alberta has fish passage provisions, and there is little reason to expect that this project would be any different.

Blocking fish passage is only one of many issues that dams and diversions impose on river ecosystems and fish communities. Additional effects from declining turbidity (turbid/murky water is very important to Great Plains fishes), modification of flow and temperature regimes, and proliferation of invasive species are just a few of a long list of impacts.

Water availability and conservation

Building a dam and reservoir would likely result in increased water use and water losses. Research has shown that construction of reservoirs increases water demand which counteracts any initial benefits of increased supply. Additionally, transforming a meandering, shaded river to a long reservoir battered by prairie sun and wind and unable to support shoreline vegetation would also result in substantial water loses from evaporation.

Instead of major infrastructure like a dam that has long term economic, environmental, and social costs, Freshwater Conservation Canada supports investments in nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure. Protecting and restoring wetlands, floodplains, and riparian ecosystems can increase the landscape’s ability to store water and mitigate the impacts of floods while improving habitat for a suite of species. Conservation measures to ensure efficient use of water, along with drought and flood planning and preparedness also help to build community resilience while protecting the health of the rivers that sustain us all.

What can you do

Freshwater Conservation Canada staff recently participated in both in-person and online engagement sessions hosted by the province. What we heard was that the feedback provided by the public will be incorporated into the feasibility study. The purpose of the feasibility study is to determine which of three dam scenarios (if any) should proceed to next steps (design, regulatory approvals, construction, and operation).

We encourage folks to participate in this process and share your thoughts on the social, environmental, cultural, and economic implications of a new dam on the Red Deer River.

A survey is available online until July 30: https://www.alberta.ca/ardley-reservoir-study-engagement

Questions and feedback can be sent to epa.ardley@gov.ab.ca.