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The Alberta government has selected a consultant to prepare a report on whether it’s feasible to build a new reservoir near Brooks.

The province announced Monday afternoon that Hatch Ltd. will complete the study on the Eyremore Dam, which would be constructed along the Bow River.

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As part of last year’s budget, the Alberta government has earmarked $5 million for the study.

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“We are taking a whole-government approach to managing and maintaining provincial water management infrastructure systems to make sure Albertans have access to the water they need when they need it,” said RJ Sigurdson, minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, in a Monday statement.

“We are committed to examining whether the Eyremore Dam can be built and operated for a cost that provides true value to Albertans.”

If the project goes ahead, the reservoir would be located about 43 kilometres downstream of the Bassano Dam, east of Brooks and Lake Newell.

“Right now, we’re limited in our collective ability to manage water effectively and this study will examine how the proposed reservoir can correct that,” said Richard Phillips, general manager of Bow River Irrigation District, in a Monday statement.

“A new multi-purpose reservoir at this location would revolutionize water management in the South Saskatchewan River Basin.”

Last October, Phillips told Postmedia that irrigation districts, southern Alberta municipalities and other stakeholders advocating for the Eyremore Dam’s construction envision that the new reservoir would be owned and operated by the Alberta government.

“That’s what’s missing on the Bow River in terms of water management is any provincially controlled storage,” said Phillips last fall.

The project has been discussed since the 1960s and is at least a decade away from being built, he told Postmedia.

Hatch will begin the study immediately, with the company’s report due in spring 2025.

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