View towards the Glenmore Dam, overlooking Stanley Park in the Elbow River valley

The Glenmore dam was constructed in 1932 with the dual purpose of providing drinking water to Calgary's expanding population and flood protection to those living in the river valleys. In 1932, shortly after the Glenmore Dam had been constructed and even though the reservoir sat empty at the time, water flowed over the top and severe flooding was recorded downstream.

View looking down the Elbow River from the top of the Glenmore dam

As the Elbow River winds its way through Calgary, it cuts steep cliffs into the loose, fine-grained sediment deposited by glaciers and glacial lakes 10 000 to 25 000 years ago and through the Early Tertiary sandstone bedrock underlying the glacial deposits. Today, because of their steep and unconsolidated nature, many of these slopes are unstable and pose a risk to housing developments placed too close to them. Seven of Calgary's more significant landslides have been caused by human activity. A main influence is excessive lawn watering at homes that were placed too close to the cliffs at the river edge.

-Nathan Kneisel-

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