Agriculture and Irrigation - Request for Proposal - Twin Valley Dam Project - Environmental Monitoring 2002 - 2023

BACKGROUND The Twin Valley Dam project was an important water management project for the Government of Alberta. The project was important for the economic development of the agricultural sector in southern Alberta, and stabilized water supply for both agriculture and municipal use in the Little Bow River basin. A mitigation program was implemented to minimize or offset environmental impacts and enhance potential benefits. PURPOSE The proposed project is intended to summarize environmental monitoring work associated with the Twin Valley Dam project, provide a current status assessment of mitigation and monitoring requirements, and provide recommendations for future monitoring if a need is demonstrated. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The contract objectives align with department objectives to provide sustainable management of natural resources and water management infrastructure. The outcomes demonstrate an appreciation of evolving public expectations for responsible and accountable natural resource management. The work supports departmental objectives to provide multiple benefits from water management infrastructure while minimizing environmental costs. The project objectives include: • Collect, organize, and document reports, letters, memoranda, and similar documents relevant to environmental impact assessment, mitigation and monitoring work associated with the Twin Valley Dam project; • Provide a description of the Twin Valley Dam project and the construction timeline; • Summarize the environmental impacts and mitigation/compensation approach for the following categories of work: geophysical and hydrological resources, water quality, fish and fish habitat, mercury in fish, wildlife, vegetation, sociological and recreational, and dam operations; •Describe obligations, legal requirements, and commitments made by the Government of Alberta to address environmental impacts and opportunities of the Twin Valley Dam Project; • Provide a timeline for the management of geophysical and hydrological resources, water quality, fish and fish habitat, mercury in fish, wildlife, vegetation, sociological and recreational, and dam operations; • Provide an updated review of environmental monitoring results for the following categories of work: geophysical and hydrological resources, water quality, fish and fish habitat, mercury in fish, wildlife, vegetation, sociological and recreational, and dam operations; and • Identify mitigation/compensation requirements and commitments that have been met and those that haven’t been met. Describe options/opportunities for meeting requirements on an ongoing basis and identify future monitoring needs, if any. RELATED PROJECT DOCUMENTS The Twin Valley Dam project is a well documented project. Numerous reports describe the project, environmental assessments, mitigation programs, and monitoring results. A selection of key documents will be available on the APC site to provide background information for the preparation of proposals. STUDY AREA The project area is the Twin Valley Dam Project area, which includes the Twin Valley Dam, Twin Valley Reservoir, Clear Lake, and portions of the Little Bow River (upstream and downstream from the dam) and Mosquito Creek