Brooks Aqueduct

Brooks Aqueduct
Type aqueduct
Location Brooks, Alberta, Alberta, Canada
Nearest city County of Newell
Built 1912–1914
Governing body Parks Canada
Website Brooks Aqueduct

The Brooks Aqueduct is a defunct aqueduct originally built by the irrigation division of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company during the 1910s. The aqueduct stands approximately 8 kilometres south of Brooks, Alberta, Canada.

Overview

The main section of the aqueduct spans a 3.2 km valley at an average elevation of 20 metres. The intention of the aqueduct was to irrigate a section of southeastern Alberta and proved to do so for about 30 years. Its original capacity was 900 cubic foot of water per second.[1] In 1969, the Alberta and Canadian governments assumed the responsibility of maintaining the structure under the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. Although it was thought at first that the governments would rebuild the aqueduct, which had been deteriorating for years, it was ultimately shut down and was left as it was.

Legacy

Today it still stands although the structure itself is no longer structurally sound and has been fenced off since the 1970s. The aqueduct and the immediate area surrounding it is now a National Historic Site of Canada.

The aqueduct was one of the largest irrigation projects of its time in southern Alberta and even today, continues to serve the area with the Bassano Dam, which was a key component of the project.

Brooks Aqueduct Historic Site Plaque

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brooks Aqueduct.

Sources

Coordinates: 50°31′44″N 111°51′18″W / 50.5289°N 111.8550°W / 50.5289; -111.8550

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/9/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.