Glenmore Reservoir

The Glenmore Reservoir is a large artificial reservoir on the Elbow River in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. The Glenmore Dam is the concrete structure that holds back the reservoir. The reservoir is a primary source of drinking water to the city. Built in 1932, with a cost of $3.8 million, the dam controls the downstream flow of the Elbow River, thus allowing the city to develop property near the river's banks with less risk of flooding.The reservoir has a water mirror of 3.84km2 and a drainage basin of 1210km2.In 2014, the city announced plans to upgrade the dam at a cost of $81 million.HistoryCalgary pioneer Sam Livingston originally settled at the location of the reservoir, and he gave the name Glenmore (Gaelic for "big valley") to this area.The dam was completed on January 31, 1933 and was designed by William Gore and Bill Storie. When the area flooded (by the summer of 1933), part of the Livingston house was preserved and now stands in Heritage Park, which borders on the reservoir.2005 floodAlthough the dam usually provides effective flood protection, a major flood in June 2005 caused the reservoir to exceed its capacity. The excess spilled over the dam and into the river. The flow downstream increased from its normal average of 20-30 cubic metres per second up to 350 cubic metres per second. As a result, some roads were closed and 2,000 Calgarians who lived downstream were evacuated. The Glenmore water treatment plant had difficulty treating the heavily silted water, which caused the municipal government to issue water restrictions. The Alberta government estimated the floods in the area to be the heaviest flooding in at least two centuries.