Barrier Lake Boat Launch

Barrier Lake is a popular recreation area in the Kananaskis region of Alberta. SweetTech was retained by Alberta Parks to improve emergency services access to Barrier Lake as its existing boat launch had become impassable due to a significant change in operation of Barrier Dam lake level following the 2013 flood events.

SweetTech’s research, analysis, and design iteration led to a climate change resilient boat ramp design that could effectively operate in a very large range of water level elevations and which ensured construction had minimal environmental impact. SweetTech's design considered optimized earthworks and construction methods to minimize the impacts to the environment. Optimization of earthworks included (1) relocating the alignment of the new launch during design phases to one that made best use of the topography and minimized disturbance to the surrounding land and water area and (2) selecting a design vertical geometry/grade for the boat ramp which minimized cut and fills therefore limiting material being imported from site. Optimization of construction methods included using GPS enabled equipment and SCUBA divers to place pre-assembled precast concrete ramp panels within a double turbidity isolation curtain to work in isolated, in-water conditions, therefore mitigating adverse impacts to fish habitat therefore ensuring the water quality of the lake was maintained. Traditional design and construction methods would have seen the disruptive practice of constructing a large sheet piling isolation (or equivalent) and dewatering the construction area which could have had greater disturbance impacts to the natural environment and resulted in longer duration (higher costs).