Highwood River Basin — Diversion Project
The proposed Highwood River diversion would divert some of the river's flow around the Town of High River during flood conditions.
Estimated impact on flood mitigation
The Highwood River diversion would be designed to handle approximately 500 cubic metres of water per second. While normal flows for the Highwood River during the month of June are between 30 and 70 cubic metres per second, the peak flow rate during the June 2013 floods was between 1500 and 1800 cubic metres per second.
The Government of Alberta and the Town of High River will work together and consult with all stakeholders to review the 2 southern diversion options to identify the best course of action. A direction is expected by the end of 2014.
- 2 southern diversion route options have been identified for further study.
- The length of the Highwood River diversion would be approximately 7 kilometres. As a comparison, Winnipeg's Red River Floodway is 47 kilometres.
- The width of the diversion would vary based on slope and the need to spread the water flow over a larger area. The diversion would be approximately 40 metres wide at narrow points, and up to 200 metres at its wide points.