What is Kananaskis Whitewater?
Kananaskis Whitewater is a world famous Albertan whitewater park on the Lower Kananaskis River. The facility was built by not for profits in the 1980s and has been regularly improved ever since. Some of the benefits Kananaskis Whitewater provides Alberta include:
High quality river recreation site for Albertans of all abilities including both participants and spectators with tens of thousands of users every year.
Major river safety, rescue, and guiding training and certification site.
Training facility of past, current, and future Olympic athletes.
Location of annual international and regional competitive events.
Connects tens of thousands of people each year to the river and river ecosystem.
The facility was built by Alberta not-for-profits with strong support from the Alberta government, Alberta businesses, and individual Albertans., The Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA) built Kananskis Whitewater since 1984 and the AWA and Alberta River Surfing Association (ARSA) since 2007. The not-for-profit Lower Kananaskis River Users Association (LRKUA) represents all or almost all organizations using the Lower Kananaskis River and has been supportive of all Kananaskis Whitewater Projects. The current build is a joint project by AWA, ARSA, and the LKRUA.
What is the issue with TransAlta and Kananaskis Whitewater?
TransAlta operates the Barrier dam that controls water flow into Kananaskis Whitewater. In 2024, after 40 years of no problems, TransAlta started destroying Kananaskis Whitewater by major changes to how they operate the dam. The issues with TransAlta are:
TransAlta refused to provide river flows that would allow for river recreation businesses to operate on the Lower Kananaskis River.
The flows needed were 3 hours of flow a day during summer months with a flow of 27 m3/s.
Luckily, the Alberta Government (Minister of Environment Rebecca Schulz) came to the rescue and directed TransAlta to provide river flows that would allow a river recreation economy to exist. This included daily water releases and extended times for events. The requirement went from July 31 2024 to September 15 2024.
TransAlta assault on river flows caused at least one business to fail.
Now TransAlta is blocking in-river maintenance by refusing to lock off the Barrier Dam for construction when it is not operating unless the not-for-profits pay a very high price with risk of even higher cost.
Locking off the dam makes the river safe during construction for people, machines, and environment by preventing large amounts of water from going down the river.
Barrier Dam only operates for 3 hours a day during the construction period.
Construction takes 10 weekdays and requires between 4 to 12 hours a day.
Construction would happen outside of TransAlta typical dam operation hours.
Construction is planned for September 16 2024 to October 27 2024.
What is the impact of TransAlta’s assault on Kananaskis Whitewater?
TransAlta’s assault on Kananaskis Whitewater will:
Kill and injure people.
Destroy businesses.
Cause the river recreation features to fall apart.
Hurt Olympic athletes by removing an important training ground.
Eliminate the $33M annual river recreation economy.
Remove the major cultural and environmental benefits of Kananaskis Whitewater.
And more.
Why is TransAlta destroying Kananaskis Whitewater?
It is unclear. TransAlta seems to be destroying an amazing and valuable Alberta public recreation resource for no good reason. Our understanding is that TransAlta saw significant restructuring in late 2023, which has led it to focus solely on market factors for its water scheduling.
What is the planned maintenance to Kananaskis Whitewater and why does it matter?
Kananaskis Whitewater requires regular in-river maintenance every 5 to 10 years to improve the facility and to maintain river features that were changed due to high spring flows, ice, and other general river wear. The 2024 Kananaskis Whitewater maintenance has been planned for many years. The last in-river work was in 2019 and that focused only on improving the Mountain surf wave. The last in-river maintenance for the rest of Kananaskis was in 2014. The 2024 maintenance project will improve and maintain all in-river features, is fully funded, and has all permits from federal, provincial, and local permitting agencies, and detailed engineering and environmental reports. Only TransAlta is stopping the project.
Below are links to the engineering and environmental reports and images of excerpts of the reports.
Kananaskis Whitewater Maintenance Aquatic Environmental Assessment 2021.078 Final Feb 29 2024
Kananaskis Whitewater Maintenance Engineering Report SEALED Feb 2024
What can I do to help?
You can send a message to the government and major shareholder contacts below asking them to:
Arrange for TransAlta to lock off the Barrier Dam for safe Kananaskis Whitewater construction.
Arrange for river flows that support river recreation.
The email can just be this ask but a longer email could also include:
What does the Kananaskis mean to you?
How the loss of the Mountain and Kananaskis Whitewater would affect you?
Pictures and or video of you enjoying the river.
Please cc president@albertariversurfing.com (ARSA) and admin@albertawhitewater.ca (AWA).
Contacts to message are:
Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Rebecca Schulz
Minister of Tourism and Sport, Joseph Schow
Your MLA
Major TransAlta shareholders
Shareholder emails. See below for details on each email.
rbctru@rbc.com
rbctrainingground@olympic.ca
enquiries@brookfieldrenewable.com
Royal Trust Corp of Canada,
Part of RBC, owns 15.77% of TransAlta and is the largest shareholder
rbctru@rbc.com
Contact for RBC Royal Trust’s national office
rbctrainingground@olympic.ca
RBC has a training ground that support atheletes all over the country, including kayakers
@rbc on instagram
RBC sponsors Olympic athletes and the Olympics
Kananaskis Whitewater trains Olympians
Brookfield Renewable Energy Group
owns 11.68% of TransAlta and is the second largest shareholder
enquiries@brookfieldrenewable.com
TransAlta
What is the Alberta Government’s relationship with Kananaskis Whitewater?
The Alberta Government may be able to arrange for TransAlta to lock off the Barrier dam for Kananaskis Whitewater construction and arrange river flows that support river recreation. Some methods for the Government to help may be through the Water Act or License Consolidation Agreements. See end of this page for more details.
The Alberta Government continues to be a very strong supporter and funder of Kananaskis Whitewater including:
In August 2024, requiring TransAlta to provide river flows that would support the river recreation economy.
Investing over a million dollars in grants over 40 years to support facility construction and maintenance.
Investing over $5.2 million in upgrading the parking lots and out of river facilities for Kananaskis Whitewater since 2018.
Permitting all river construction.
What is TransAlta’s relationship with Kananaskis Whitewater?
TransAlta operates the Barrier Dam which controls the water flow into Kananaskis Whitewater. The Barrier dam operates using hydropeaking which means there is lots of water in the river when electricity is being generated and almost no water in the river when electricity is not being generated.
Every day the river will be at full flow (~ 30 m3/s) for many hours and an almost no flow (< 1 m3/s) for many hours.
During spring run-off, the river is full for 24 hours a day.
From later summer through fall and into late winter, the river is almost dry for 21 hours a day.
For the past 40 years, from 1984 to 2023, TransAlta was a good partner in managing the river as a public asset. TransAlta would:
Adjust flow releases to ensure there were river flows to support the river recreation economy.
Lock off the dam during construction to make the river safe for equipment and people.
Provide a 4 day forecast of river flows and flow times so users and businesses could plan their river use.
What does the river look like at low and dam operating flows?
The images below show low flow (<1 m3/s) and dam operating flow (30 m3/s) at the Mountain surf wave in the Lower Kananaskis River. Construction is done during periods when the river is at low flow for 20 hours a day either in fall or early spring.
Have there been previous problems with TransAlta with Kananaskis Whitewater?
No, for 40 years from 1984 to 2023, TransAlta has been a good partner with creating and maintaining a river recreation economy.
How many major river construction projects have been done in Kananaskis Whitewater?
We have done 11 major river construction projects in Kananaskis Whitewater with no issues. In-river construction projects were in 1984, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2024 (pending).
Why does TransAlta have a responsibility to river recreation?
TransAlta has a responsibility to support river recreation in Kananaskis Whitewater because:
TransAlta’s own 2023 Integrated Report.
Reports calls out TransAlta’s commitments to:
Stakeholder Relationships (pg M100)
Community Investments (pg M101)
Public Health & Safety (pg M102)
TransAlta’s continued assault on Kananaskis Whitewater violates all of their commitments.
There is a 40+ year history of the Barrier Dam operator supporting river recreation in Kananaskis Whitewater.
Rivers are public assets owned by all Canadians. Dam operators have a responsibility to manage those assets and allow the public to use them.
Does river construction and dam lock-off increase the risk of electricity loss in Alberta?
No, locking off the Barrier Dam for in-river construction poses no risk for electricity supply in Alberta because:
Construction is always done when the Barrier Dam is not operating.
Barrier Dam is a small contributor of electricity to the Alberta electricity grid.
0.06% (1/20th of a percent) of Alberta electricity generation.
1.6% of Alberta’s hydroelectric generation
How much electricity does the Barrier Dam generate?
The Barrier Dam generates:
0.06% (1/20th of a percent) of Alberta electricity generation.
1.6% of Alberta’s hydroelectric generation
Alberta produces 894 MW of hydroelectricity.
13 MW / 894 MW = 1.6%
Alberta produces 21,538 MW of electricity from all sources.
13 MW / 21,538 MW = 0.06% (1/20th of a percent)
Does locking off the dam cost TransAlta electricity revenue?
No. TransAlta generates electrity and sells that electricity when water flows through the dam generators. If the dam is not running the water stays behind the dam. The water and the electricity revenue is not lost. TransAlta will release the stored water and sell the electricty at a later date when electricity prices are high.
Is there a public health and safety risk due to TransAlta’s assault on Kananaskis Whitewater?
Yes, there is a public health and safety risk that will result in death and injury. Kananaskis Whitewater is designed based on regular maintenance. The maintenance is required to improve and maintain the features which make the whiewater lower risk and more enjoyable. Whitewater parks are inherently dangroues and by blocking the maintenance, TransAlta is making Kananaskis Whitewater more dangerous. TransAlta will be responsible for killing and injuring people.
Did the river not-for-profits try to negotiate with TransAlta for flows that support river recreation and the dam lock off for construction?
Yes, the LKRUA, AWA, and ARSA tried to negotiate with TransAlta. TransAlta’s final offers were deals that would destroy river recreation in Kananaskis Whitewater, the associated economic, cultural, and environmental benefits. The LKRUA, AWA, and ARSA rejected those deals.
Did TransAlta offer a deal to lock off the dam?
Yes, TransAlta offered a last minute deal that was impossible for the not-for-profits to accept. The LKRUA, ARSA, and AWA rejected the offer.
TransAlta was notified of the upcoming construction project in discussions in 2023.
We submitted our construction flow request to TransAlta on July 10 2024.
Construction is planned for Sept 16 to Sept 27 outside of Barrier Dam operating hours.
The dam operates for 3 hours a day at this time of year.
This amount of notice has been acceptable for 40+ years.
On August 28, TransAlta provided this offer for locking off the dam:
$10,000 to $20,000 to lock off for 10 days.
Each day this requires locking off the dam at the start of work and unlocking the dam at the end of work.
$10,000 = 2 people working 40 hours a week for 10 days at $65 / hr.
$20,000 = 2 people working 40 hours a week for 10 days at $130 / hr.
This time seems extremely high. In that past 11 constructions over 40 years, this took TransAlta about 2 to 4 hours each day including travel.
$10,000 per hour charge if TransAlta decided they needed to open the dam and we could not get out of the river within 30 minutes.
This would only get charged if we could not get all machines out of the river bed and to safety within 30 minutes.
We rejected the offer. We could remove the machinery from the river but not with the threat of a $10,000 per hour charge. There is no room in the project budget for these last minute costs and risks. TransAlta is a multi-billion dollar company and these costs and risks are tiny for the company. TransAlta and the Alberta Government have a responsibility to operate the dam in the best interests of Albertans which includes operating to support the river recreation economy and other related benefits.
Did TransAlta offer any other deals regarding river recreation on Kananaskis Whitewater?
Yes, in Summer 2024 TransAlta offered a final deal to provide river flows that would destroy the river recreation economy. The LKRUA, AWA, and ARSA rejected the deal. The rejected deal included:
Destruction of the commercial river rafting industry including immediate loss of 100+ jobs and the loss of at least 15 million dollars a year in economic activity.
The deal provided 3 hours of afternoon flow a day for three days a week. This is not enough to operate the commercial river recreation businesses. On the other days, TransAlta would release 3 hours of flow just near sunrise and sunset.
River flow for three international or national weekend events during summer.
Requirement that river organizations publicly thank TransAlta for the deal and destruction of the river recreation economy.
Silencing the river organizations by preventing them from talking to the government or advocating for proper river flow management.
The river organizations rejected the offer and the Government of Alberta directed TransAlta to provide 3 hours of mid afternoon flows a day and flows for the three events. The Government of Alberta agreement with TransAlta expires on Sept 15, 2024.
Does TransAlta have any other special agreements with governments for water management?
Yes. TransAlta has agreements with the Alberta and Calgary governments that provide it $15M a year for controlling river flows.
$2.5M / year - Provincial Drought agreement: Managing flows to minimize impact of drought.
$5M / year - Provincial Flood agreement: Managing flows to keep reservoirs low in spring and early summer to provide space for potential flood water.
$8M / year - City of Calgary Bearspaw dam agreement
Dam License: Rules on how dams can be operated and allows Alberta Minister to direct dam flows.
The Alberta Government used drought mitigation agreement to direct TransAlta to provide river flows that allow for a river recreation economy. Forcing TransAlta to provide flows is consistent with the clauses in the Dam License that allows the Minister to direct dam flows.
How much Albertan support is there for maintaining Kananaskis Whitewater?
Support for the Mountain and Kananaskis Whitewater improvement project includes hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from Albertan individuals, not for profits, companies, and government grants. Additionally, we have hundreds of thousands of dollars in donated services and material. Major project partners include the Alberta Government, LaFarge, Calgary Foundation, and Able Demolition.
What are the environmental impacts of the Kananaskis Whitewater and the maintenance project?
The project has been planned to have no negative impacts on the environment just like the past 11 construction projects since 1984. Kananaskis Whitewater provides a massive positive environmental impact by creating deep connections to the river and river ecosystem for tens of thousands of people every year.
What is the societal benefit of Kananaskis Whitewater?
Some of the benefits of Kananaskis Whitewater:
Recreation area for the 35% of Albertans recreate in canoes, kayaks, and stand-up-paddleboards (2022 Recreation Survey)
Contributes to the $150 million dollar river recreation economy on the Kananaskis River and Bow River (TIAA & CRUA 2022)
The Kananaskis and Bow River (Horseshoe section, Seebe) are invaluable tourism assets for Calgary to Banff corridor.
The Kananaskis River is the place to learn to canoe, kayak, SUP and surf in Alberta.
The Kananaskis River is a training ground for eighteen previous Olympians and dozens of National Team athletes, including some Olympians sponsored by RBC. RBC is major TransAlta shareholder.
The Kananaskis River boasts a world class River Surf wave, with regular competitive events.
Kananaskis Whitewater connects river users and spectators to the river and the importance of healthy rivers.
Related documents
Kananaksis Whitewater Economic Impact Report - 2024
Alberta’s Crown Land Outdoor Recreation Study - TIAA – 2020
The Economic Importance of Water-Based Recreation in the Bow River Basin - Calgary River Users Alliance - 2022
Alberta Recreation Survey – Alberta Recreation & Parks Association – 2022
Alberta pledges $5.2 million for day-use areas, whitewater access in lower Kananaskis – Calgary Herald 2018
Lower Kananaskis $5.2M Investment – Alberta Whitewater Association - 2018
Lower Kananaskis River – Barrier Lake Redevelopment-Final Plan – Alberta Parks – 2018
Alberta legislation regarding approval of water usage.
May allow Alberta Government to assist TransAlta in supporting river recreation.
Interpretation 1(1) In this Act
Adverse Effects
(c) “adverse effect” means impairment of or damage to;
Approval amendments
42(1) The Director may amend an approval
(vi) to amend a term or condition if, in the opinion of the Director, a significant adverse effect on the aquatic environment, human health or public safety that was not reasonably foreseeable at the time the approval was issued occurred, occurs or may occur,
License amendment
54(1) If an amendment of a licence does not increase the volume of the diversion of water specified in the licence, the Director may, subject to the regulations and subsection (3), amend a licence (a) on the Director’s own initiative, without the consent of the licensee,
(v) if, in the Director’s opinion, an adverse effect on human health or public safety occurred, occurs or may occur that was not reasonably foreseeable at the time the licence was issued,
if the Director is of the opinion that there is no or will be no adverse effect on the rights of a household user, other licensee or traditional agriculture user and that the proposed change will not adversely
Order in Council - License Consolidation Agreement
Regarding TransAlta operation of Barrier Dam
May allow Alberta Government to assist TransAlta in supporting river recreation.
Page C-9 or pdf page 27
“The licence is deemed to have been executed on the express condition that [Transalta]
(b) will comply with any orders made by the Minister or by any person authorized by the Minister in respect of the control or regulation of the flow of the water of the river or stream,”
