Manmade Lakes In Calgary & Okotoks

[DonAndersen]

Hi,

 

Does anyone know the source water for the man made lakes Lake Midnapore, Sundance Lake, Lake Chaparral or the lake in NE Okotoks?

 

Just curious - watching every ending news stories about water availability dropping in the Bow drainage. Wondered if this water comes from the Bow/Elbow/Sheep to fill these things.

 

Do recall some years ago when Okotoks was restricting water supplies to residents all the while a man made lake was being filled by the developer. The rancher who told was cut off from emergency water supplies from the Sheep for his cows as his wells were dry.

 

regards,

 

 

Don

[Taco]

Outta the Bow and tribs under a domestic use license was the word I got when I queried Ab Envior a number of yrs ago

[Weedy1]

From : http://sierraclubchinook.org/Newsroom/2004...2004-Herald.htm

 

 

Sikome Lake - "The 26-year-old lake is now filled from underground wells next to the Bow River every June and drained after the September Labour Day long weekend. Between 75,000 and 100,000 people visit the lake each week of the summer."

 

Lake Chaparral - "Our lake is completely filled with city tap water."

 

 

 

I think the other lakes are filled with the tears of Flames fans in June.

[SanJuanWorm]

Auburn bay is filled by city water.

[Flytyer]

Auburn bay is filled by city water.

 

And where does city water come from? Elbow and Bow rivers I believe.

 

[maxwell]

that is messed up... if the lakes cannot hold water they shouldnt be there IMHO why in hte hell would u want too drain a valued water source like the bow so some stock fish can survive.. freakin stupid! if the lake can hold water im kinda fine with a onetime fill but if levels are dropping 365 and she is always being pumped in via waterfountain, waterfall or some other pumpin sorunce that bugs me!

[reevesr1]

The direction of a discussion of Bow river water use on a fly fishing website is as predictable as a "merits of hunting" thread on a PETA website.

 

Here is my prediction:

Most people here will be against using the water of the Bow for Lake Communities (or irrigation, or golf courses, or anything not fishing related). Unless they golf, or farm, or ranch, or live in a lake community.

 

 

[maxwell]

even if i lived in a lake i would still have the same opinion.. like i said. why jeopradize awsome fishing for some stocked fish fishin.. i dont care if tehre taimen size(well maybe sorta) but even fish up to 5lbs aint worth is IMHO jsut a waiste. sepcially with all those otehr sources u menitoned above rick using the water aswell....

[reevesr1]

I would say the reasons for the lakes have very little to nothing to do with fishing. They have to do with lifestyle (or more accurately the illusion of a lifestyle), marketing, and property value. The stocking of them is a minor additional feature.

 

I do like rowing my wife around ours from time to time

 

 

 

[bloom]

If I was to move to Calgary (which I never will), I would look at these lake communites. There is a big attraction in regards to stepping out your back door to take your two little girls fishing everynight. Lakes are safer than the side of the bow river, and these stocked lakes can give high catch rates which is what you need for the little kids. (In summer and winter)

 

Not saying this should come at a cost for the bow river (which I love to fish), but those stocked lates have a nice attraction to me too.

[bigbowtrout]

I would think it would be fine if they filled them or topped them off during runoff only.

[Castuserraticus]

I would say the reasons for the lakes have very little to nothing to do with fishing. They have to do with lifestyle (or more accurately the illusion of a lifestyle), marketing, and property value. The stocking of them is a minor additional feature.

 

I do like rowing my wife around ours from time to time

 

We'd heard you like oarin' around.

[cheeler]

My lake up in Coventry Hills is filled with storm water runoff...anybody want to go for a swim?

[monger]

Sundance and Midnapore get topped up with City water (via the Elbow) each spring. I've been told that less than 3% of the people in these community actually fish. Therefore I guess the water is more for swimming, boating and the "lake lifestyle". I think there is a pretty good charge for the water purchased. Perhaps that sum will get too large in the years to come when all the rivers are empty. I feel so guilty now... I'll have to fish in Rick's lake this year instead of Lake Sunperch.

[Guest RedWiggler]

3% has to be close to the percentage at Mackenzie Lake as well, maybe even lower. The water in that lake is definitely not there for the fishing but the fishing does kick ass. I would have a hard time not living in a lake community again, it opens up alot of things to do when you have kids. Swimming, playgrounds, boating, skating, sledding, fishing, haning out on the beach, BBques, and more. Now if someone told me the Bow was going to dry up because of the water in the lake, then I would stop paying lake fees and using it, until then bring it on.

[AndyW]

The way that they manage the Bow watershed has nothing to do with fishing. The W.I.D and the E.I.D. are for watering crop fields. How much water is diverted to fill the canals? a few lakes in the city is a drop in the bucket compared to how much water they use to irrigate. also look at the wonky flows we get as the dams upstream mess with it for power generation. Fishing and fisheries are at the BOTTOM of the list. Sheesh some summers the Bow is like pissy bathwater because of them keeping the upstream dams full. It is a shame.... A dam shame!

[Guest Sundancefisher]

3% has to be close to the percentage at Mackenzie Lake as well, maybe even lower. The water in that lake is definitely not there for the fishing but the fishing does kick ass. I would have a hard time not living in a lake community again, it opens up alot of things to do when you have kids. Swimming, playgrounds, boating, skating, sledding, fishing, haning out on the beach, BBques, and more. Now if someone told me the Bow was going to dry up because of the water in the lake, then I would stop paying lake fees and using it, until then bring it on.

 

I find the 3% number hard to believe. It is also misleading insofar as many people apparently access private access to the lake to fish. Also usually the parent/Dad...will sign in to fish and the kids 1, 2 or 3 will do most of the fishing. They may have recorded 1 fisherman but really should of maybe been 3 or 4. Also it appears fewer and fewer people fish as the fishing gets worse and worse...and surprisingly enough fishing pressure increases as the quality of the fishing increases. Therefore the quality of the fishing as managed by the lake can adversely affect the numbers.

 

The majority of the water gets added to these lakes in the Spring with a minor top off in the fall. The lakes pay for this water also...it ain't free and quite substantial. Being as the use does not adversesly affect the trout... I am at odds as to what Don's issue is? If you look at the overall misuse of water by city residents, destruction of the landscape which reduces proper water capture instead of flushing rain straight to the muddy rivers, farmers filling in marshes...reservoirs being built for no reason and evaporating more water that these lakes will ever see... I can only assume some people have no clue what it is like to live in a lake community.

 

Living near water that has year round recreational uses is a huge boost to the communities quality of life. Plus some of us idiots spend more time fishing there than in the Bow :-). That is a benefit to other fishermen.

 

People will sometimes try and pick faults with others and try and take away any benefits seen to not include them. If this is about water...that is mitigated and not a concern to Bow River fishing. If this is about fishing in these lakes...then what is the real problem? Otherwise Don...where are you going with this?

 

Cheers

 

Sun

[scorpiondeathlock]

From : http://sierraclubchinook.org/Newsroom/2004...2004-Herald.htm

 

 

 

 

I think the other lakes are filled with the tears of Flames fans in June.

hahaha good one

[DonAndersen]

Guys,

 

Just find it curious:

 

* that the Mega Mall NE of Calgary had to "buy" water from an irrigation district to supply their business as Calgary wouldn't do it. A CDN first that sets us up for water exports to the States as now water has value and is a commodity

* ranchers are told not to supply water to their cows

* the Bow is over allocated 130%

* Okotoks is committed to limiting growth due some issues like water - this growth limit will likely be extended to both Black Diamond and Turner Valley.

* no more new water licenses are being issued for the Bow drainage or is it the whole S. Sask basin

* and Calgary builds more "lake" communities.

 

Seems like the Provincial Govt is really not doing their job of managing water well. Creating lakes in a semi-desert just to add to life style strikes me as a tad ridiculous.

 

 

catch ya'

 

 

Don

[Flytyer]

In my opinion developers seem to have a free license to do what ever they want....makes the adage "money talks and BS walks" ring to be much to true. If there's a buck in it that's the route taken it seems in almost all cases. These lakes that exist now should be left as is now and not level maintained and if they dry up so be it and a freeze to any of these new lake communities. It's obvious that these lakes are stealing the public resource.

[Flytyer]

Guys,

 

Just find it curious:

 

* that the Mega Mall NE of Calgary had to "buy" water from an irrigation district to supply their business as Calgary wouldn't do it. A CDN first that sets us up for water exports to the States as now water has value and is a commodity

* ranchers are told not to supply water to their cows

* the Bow is over allocated 130%

* Okotoks is committed to limiting growth due some issues like water - this growth limit will likely be extended to both Black Diamond and Turner Valley.

* no more new water licenses are being issued for the Bow drainage or is it the whole S. Sask basin

* and Calgary builds more "lake" communities.

 

Seems like the Provincial Govt is really not doing their job of managing water well. Creating lakes in a semi-desert just to add to life style strikes me as a tad ridiculous.

 

 

catch ya'

 

 

Don

 

The funny part of the first part of your statement Don is eventually Calgary will be suppling the megsamalls water as it's inevitable that it will be annexed at some point in the future.

[SilverDoctor]

And lets not even talk about the amount of water being pumped down oil wells plus lakes being "declassified" and "reclassified" as holding ponds.