Town of Banff Bow River Siphon Lining Replacement

The Town of Banff is proposing to rehabilitate two existing sanitary siphon lines that cross beneath the Bow River near the Muskrat Street pedestrian bridge. The siphons provide a redundant sanitary connection for the north side of Banff if the Muskrat Bridge lift station fails, is undergoing maintenance, or experiences an emergency. The existing liners, installed in 2023, have failed because the required internal pressure was not maintained, causing them to collapse under external environmental and hydraulic forces. Replacement is required to restore the siphons as a reliable redundant sanitary connection. The project will involve excavation at the north and south ends of the siphons, removal of the existing failed liners, and removal of a legacy concrete chamber/thrust structure and mitered pipe joints that previously prevented installation of a continuous liner. Following removal of the legacy concrete structures and mitered pipe joints, new rigid slip liners will be installed within the existing siphon pipes. Unlike the existing liners, the new slip liners are designed to maintain their structural integrity without relying on internal pressure and to withstand external hydraulic forces. Equipment and materials will be staged at the Town of Banff's wastewater treatment plant. Construction is expected to take approximately 30 days and is anticipated to occur between October 2026 and February 2027. The current proposal is being undertaken to address the failure of a siphon rehabilitation project that was previously assessed and approved in 2023. While the proposed work remains within the existing infrastructure corridor, the project includes removal of failed infrastructure and installation of a different liner technology than was previously assessed.

Latest update

September 1, 2026 – Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Transport Canada intends to make a determination regarding whether the carrying out of the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. To help inform this determination, Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Transport Canada are inviting public comments until October 1, 2026 respecting that determination.

Participate

Key documents

Key documents
Document number Document title File Date
1 New project being assessed by Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Transport Canada – Public comments invited from September 1, 2026 to October 1, 2026 - September 1, 2026

Contacts

Banff National Park
Box 900
Banff, Alberta T1L 1K2
Email: helen.irwin@pc.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Banff National Park of Canada (Alberta)

  • Nature of activity

    • Maintenance activities (fences, walls)

  • Assessment status

    In progress

  • Start date

    2026-09-01

  • Proponent

    Parks Canada

  • Authorities

    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
    • Parks Canada Agency
    • Transport Canada

  • Assessment type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference number

    90738

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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