1. If city administration had its way, Edmonton's Great Divide Waterfall on the High Level Bridge, one of the most successful works of public art in Canada, would now have a death sentence.
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3. Fortunately, a feisty faction of scientists, environmentalists, artists, art administrators and politicians have all been seized by a much better idea: to not only restore the man-made waterfall, but to drastically improve it.
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5. The waterfall has been part of the Edmonton scene for more than 30 years since artist Peter Lewis created it in 1980. The work was done for $425,000, most of that from volunteers and donors, just $100,000 from government. But the waterfall had to be shut in 2009 because spraying chlorinated tap water into the river was toxic to fish and against federal fisheries regulations.
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7. Coun. Ben Henderson wanted to see if anything could be done to save the artwork, so city administration looked into the issue. It reported to council last March that it was too costly to proceed with a $735,000 restoration project: "Should council accept this report for information, the city will proceed to decommission and de-access the waterfall ...."
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9. That would have been the end of it, except council didn't agree. Many people also pushed hard to save the waterfall. City administration took another look. On Wednesday, it reported to council that the city should spend $735,000 to fix the waterfall. The pipes and fittings will be repaired and a dechlorination unit will treat the water before it gets sprayed out. The waterfall will run, as it always has, just a handful of times each summer.
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11. This measure will save the artwork, but there's a much better idea gaining traction: Why not have the waterfall run every day during the spring, summer and fall, not just a few days? And why not just use river water, not treated tap water?
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13. The river is much cleaner than it was in the 1980s when the notion of using river water was first rejected, says the North Saskatchewan's Riverkeeper, Glen Isaac. Industrial pollutants have been reduced. The city does a better job of keeping sewage from pouring into the river during storms.
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15. The North Saskatchewan is as clean as or cleaner than other North American rivers, Isaac says, some of which have natural waterfalls on them that cause no health issues.
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17. So, the only way for the city to move on this is to use river water, Isaac says. "The question I get most often as a Riverkeeper is: 'Is the river water quality safe?' This would be the ultimate way to illustrate that. 'Yeah, it's safe enough that we have the confidence of city officials to pump river water over a bridge.' "
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19. Adds Dr. Greg Goss of the University of Alberta, an expert on water toxicology: "Personally, I would like to see the river water explored as an option because I do think that the celebration of the fact that our river is clean is an important consideration."
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21. Isaac suspects it will again be easy to raise donations for such a project. "If this is presented as a celebration of our river and this beautiful piece of art, I think you could get people excited about it."
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23. John Turnbull, the arts preservationist for the Edmonton Arts Council, is preparing a full report on using river water with input from oilfield and water reclamation companies.
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25. City administration has reported a pump could cost as much as $2 million, but Isaac says that number isn't based on any kind of serious study, just on one call to Epcor.
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27. In any case, if river water is used, it opens up the possibility that the waterfall could run every day, not just on special occasions, so there will be far greater bang for the city's buck.
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29. If the $735,000 dechlorination option is now supported by council, the waterfall will be ready for the 100th birthday of the High Level Bridge next year, but meeting that deadline shouldn't be the top priority. Instead, getting it right is crucial, which means a full exploration of the river water idea.
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31. As Isaac puts it: "We only have one shot at this. I'd like to see it go that route."
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33. And Turnbull: "I would love to see it up and running for the 100th birthday, but I want to make sure that w e look at a solution that gets this up and running for the long term, for the bridge's 150th birthday or 200th, if it's still standing."
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35. dstaples@edmontonjournal. com
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37. Credit: David Staples; Edmonton Journal
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39. Illustration
40. Chris Schwarz, Edmonton Journal File / The push is on to reopen the Great Divide waterfall, which was shut down in 2009. The big question is whether to use treated city water or river water to supply the flow.; Caption:
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43. Copyright CanWest Digital Media Sep 21, 2012