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For the birds

Ducks Unlimited replaces weir at Cranbrook's Elizabeth Lake.
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Crews from Hebditch Holdings drive down sheet steel piling to create a new weir at Elizabeth Lake on behalf of Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited have been busy at Elizabeth Lake building a new weir.

The existing concrete water control structure is now 40 years old, but it made all the difference for Elizabeth Lake.

"We put in the structure in 1971. By 1980, this was one of the most significant bench land wetlands in the Rocky Mountain Trench," said Ken Johnson, the head of habitat asset management for Ducks Unlimited Canada, who managed the construction.

The new weir is made with sheet steel piling. The structure will allow Ducks Unlimited to continue regulating the water level of Elizabeth Lake to create optimal conditions for bird nesting, especially for waterfowls.

The steel water control structure is now complete. The project cost around $70,000, with $10,000 coming from Columbia Basin Trust.

There is a trail bridge over the old concrete weir, which the City of Cranbrook will continue to maintain.