Could the Ardley dam proposal, studied for nearly a century, actually get built?

A long-discussed, often-studied, never-built Red Deer River dam proposal dating back decades is being dusted off and resurrected by the provincial government.

A request for proposals (RFP) has been issued for a feasibility study of a new dam and reservoir east of Red Deer to address water availability concerns and provide irrigation for farming in east-central Alberta.

The project comes as the Prairies have continued to see significant drought in recent years. As climate change makes such weather events more frequent, concerns around water security have increased.

"I think sometimes when you're in periods of drought like we have been, it brings these conversations back to the forefront," said Kraymer Barnstable, a Red Deer city councillor.

"Regardless of the decision moving forward from the province, these conversations need to keep happening."

The idea of a major water engineering project near the tiny hamlet of Ardley goes back more than a century, according to a 1972 study of the Saskatchewan and Nelson river drainage systems.

In 1914, irrigation engineer William Pearce devised a plan that would have diverted water from the Red Deer River for livestock and farming to an area of nearly 7.7 million hectares.

That plan evolved over the years as studies were done, governments changed and public finances fluctuated. In the 1940s, a dam project was proposed. Sites were surveyed, core samples were taken, and by 1951, a cost estimate for construction was prepared.

But the project never materialized, despite more studies in the 1960s.

In 1983, the Dickson Dam was built on the Red Deer River, upstream and southwest of the city of Red Deer. The reasons cited were similar to those for the proposed Ardley dam: reliable water supply, particularly during low winter flows, and flood control, as well as the creation of a recreational resource, Gleniffer Lake.

But population growth and increased demand from agricultural and industrial users, combined with significant drought years and the promise of more with climate change, has resulted in the Ardley dam being contemplated yet again.

The $4.5-million feasibility study was announced in this year's provincial budget.

In a news release last month announcing the request for proposals, the government said the study will "look at whether a new dam near Ardley can be designed, constructed and operated for a cost that provides value to Albertans and the economy."

Irrigation, drought management, water security and flood protection were named as the central reasons for considering a dam and reservoir.