View topic - HARVIE PASSAGE - Bow River Weir Project Construction Thread

I know this construction project has been anticipated by many so maybe a thread dedicated to the construction and it's progress is in order. Officially construction started in Dec 2008. However, it has taken many more years to get the necessary funding and I would like to congratulate all the volunteers who dedicated their time and effort in order to make this happen. Thankyou.



Official website is here. Not up to date it seems.

http://www.harviepassage.ca/about.html

More at Undercurrents.

http://www.undercurrents.ca/news/calgary_weir_construction_starts_next_week.php

I will start with a few pics I took today. Please everyone...chime in with any tidbits or pics you may have.





















Following taken a few summers ago. I'm sure they will do just fine fishing elsewhere. Still, they will be missed.

Good idea leopard,I hadn't even thought about letting people know whats going on.As you say it has been in progress for a few years,costs kept going up so more money was needed,studies had to be done to make sure it would be safe (guess they didn't think about that when it was built)It will make paddling through Calgary more pleasant and much safer,it will also allow emergency crew easier and quicker access to all parts of he river as they can go from one end of town to the other without having to trailer their boat.Although not a whitewater park as such it will provide an area right in town to go play on some small waves after work

Leopard;
Thanks for the great pics.
Is there still a WW park in the plans?
I've been away from AB for nearly a yr and haven't kept up with this.
Wasn't there some recent opposition to this from the local residents of the area because of increased recreational traffic?

Glad to see the construcution has started.
Hugh

_________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
M.T.

Hugh there never were plans for a white water park persay(sp?) as the main purpose is to get rid of the danger ,they plan on just filling in below the wier with rocks and gravel and some strategicly placed islands and rocks to create safe passge,on river right you will be able to foat thru on an air mattress and getting progressivly better(more and bigger eddy areas/holes)up to 1+/maybe 2 rapids,either way it will still be a nice place to play in downtown calgary. more here
http://www.calpaddle.com/calpaddle/foru ... 8&posts=20
and here http://www.calpaddle.com/calpaddle/foru ... 58&posts=8

WKG;
thanks for the link.
I should be back in Canmore late summer so will have to drop by to see the progress.

Hugh

_________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
M.T.

no rush hugh it sounds like the area around the weir will be closed to padleing until work is completed,hopefully spring of 2010

Updated pics taken May 4, 2009. Looking good.

Sounds like a good plan but I don't see how the upgrade will eliminate the dangers of a weir. The hydraulic effect will still be there just diminished will it not? During flood it'll be just as nasty as ever. I'm concerned that it may send out the wrong message to people that may attempt shooting the weir because they think its "safe". Isn't it best to keep the booms up and promote a portage?

We also have a weir here in Lethbridge late summer/fall it turns into a trickle and isn't much of a concern but they installed a fish ladder some years back and in flood people will be out there play boating in it. Its true that rescue boats can pass through the fish ladder easily but the danger still exists in locations along the weir where there is not a fish ladder structure. Obviously coming down river you can't see where the ladder is so a portage is still recommended
Only a matter of time before someone gets hurt here IMO

Is there something different going on in Calgary? I might be missing something...

Hello Mark,
One of the main objectives of this highly engineered project which is costing millions of dollars is to eliminate the current extreme drowning hazard...among other objectives.

More info at the following which may clear things up.

http://www.harviepassage.ca/about.html

Please note that it is still 2 years away from being completed.

Hi Leopard

Yeah. I read through that stuff but I didn't see anything that would suggest that it'll significantly reduce the risk. Shortening the drop will no don't make it "not as bad" but I still see it as a hazard I would portage around.
Was wondering if anyone had some insider info that could explain this to me

Hi guys being involved with bowwaters canoe club and knowing the guys who pushed to get this project started i have been following its progress.the idea is to completly fill below the weir(downstream side) and then have three different areas of water flow.extreme river left will be floatable on an air mattress,extreme river right will have significant drops and eddies he middle will be in between the two.by filling below the weir right up it will basically eliminate the drop wich causes the hazard that is there now

Update. Pics taken near the end of Sept. 2009.

good pics Leopard,I was talking to someone heavily involved with the project and planning/construction and apparently the big hole on river left(just downstream of the fish ladders)is going to be a significant play feature,bigger/better than anything on the kan

An update on what's happening at the weir. Following taken Feb. 25, 2010.
Chime in if you know what the contractors are trying to achieve on river right adjacent
to the observation deck. Appears to be a chute (V shaped) with terraced like steps.

It certainly sounds like the Weir ( Killing Machine ) will be greatly reduced in terms of its hazard. I think the project is a great idea! Now if we could only do something with all the other weirs around the country that lay inside urban setting.

For those of you that may not understand the hazard, its in the way these weirs were constructed, you can see in some of the pictures the hydraulics that create the issue. These Hydraulics create a river wide hole, these river wide holes in high water have very long boil lines ( thats the distance of the water that rolls back up on its self and flows up river) The bottom line is.......you go in but you don't come out.

In the odd situation a sweet spot can be found to runs these weirs. ie; The weir in down town Tweed Ontario has this prefect boof off its 7' lip. Is there risk? Most certainly! Is it runnable and would I like to do it? Most certainly. Will I ever? Never!! The problem being its in down town Tweed. Thats the problem.....some kids see us doing it but doesn't understand that this 3' wide area is the ONLY place along its length that this weir can be run. Next thing you hear, some kid drowns because he saw someone do it and that they made it look easy and fun.

_________________

Al Greve http://www.canoewateradventuring.ca South Western Ontario's canoeing specialist