Newly formed Stormwater Management Cooperative creates regional stormwater solution   

Stormwater Management Cooperative (CSMI)

NEWS RELEASE

January 11, 2021

Newly formed Stormwater Management Cooperative creates regional stormwater solution   

CALGARY (Jan. 11, 2021) –The incorporation of the Stormwater Management Cooperative (CSMI) in early December 2020 marks the formal establishment of an innovative and collaborative approach for regional protection against the impacts of severe weather in southern Alberta.

 

The CSMI system is designed to reduce localized flooding through collecting, storing and moving stormwater more effectively throughout the region. Stormwater will be kept out of the WID irrigation canals as it is conveyed through the CSMI system, which will preserve high quality irrigation water in the WID canals.

 

The project is a partnership between the Western Irrigation District (WID), The City of Calgary, Rocky View County, and the Town of Strathmore. All three municipal Councils and the WID Board approved the project in November 2020. An established governance structure was solidified through several legal agreements and legal incorporation of the Cooperative in December 2020, marking a major milestone for this project that has been over a decade in development.

 

“The CSMI project represents a significant opportunity for the WID and the communities it serves to demonstrate that development can coexist with irrigation through collaboration,” says general manager of the WID, David McAllister.

 

The project was recently granted an additional $4.1 million from the Alberta Community Resilience Program and $200,000 from the Alberta Community Partnership. With this newly accrued funding and the approval of the governing legal agreements by each partner, the CSMI can proceed with implementing a system to manage stormwater for the protection of Alberta’s rivers, land, and communities.

 

Beyond providing a sustainable solution to the stormwater excess in southern Alberta, the CSMI exemplifies the principles of regional collaboration, providing a process for ongoing cooperation between municipalities and the irrigation district for decades to come.

 

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About CSMI

The Stormwater Management Cooperative (CSMI) was incorporated in Alberta on 2020/12/10. The initial members of the Cooperative include the Western Irrigation District, The City of Calgary, Rocky View County, and the Town of Strathmore. CSMI was formed for the purposes of constructing and operating a regional out-of-canal storm water drainage system. More information on the project can be found at https://albertawater.com/csmi-about.

Contact Information:

Laura Corbeil

Laura.corbeil@watersmartsolutions.ca