Concern over dead fish, water levels in reservoir southwest of Edmonton
Global News
It's been another dry year in Alberta, but some Brazeau County residents argue the evaporation of a beloved creek is the work of oil and gas industry greed — not Mother Nature.
Hundreds of dead fish have washed ashore, after an Alberta creek’s water levels dropped significantly.
A family who’s lived in the area for generations believe the Alberta Energy Regulator needs to step in to help save the ecosystem.
On May 28, Robin Wheale spent his birthday at the Poplar Creek Reservoir, built on the Modeste Creek near Breton, which is about 100 kilometres southwest of Edmonton in Brazeau County.
He took a video showing high water levels on the body of water he said it often filled with people kayaking or fishing.
By the middle of July, the reservoir was nearly empty. It’s been that way ever since.
“We are about 16 to 18 feet lower from where the top of the water is usually at,” he explained.
The reservoir was specifically built for and by the oil and gas industry for water withdrawal.
The reservoir’s outflow into the Poplar Creek/Modeste Creek watershed is regulated by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) as part of the operational license.
