Preserving Industrial Heritage: Risk, Monitoring and Evidence-Based Decision-Making at the Brooks Aqueduct

Risk is a pervasive factor in the lifecycle of heritage resources, influencing their designation, management, and long-term preservation. Industrial Archaeological heritage is particularly vulnerable due to its often-overlooked significance, resulting in neglect, deterioration, and eventual loss. This dissertation addresses the challenges associated with conserving industrial heritage, focusing on the Brooks Aqueduct in Alberta, Canada, as a case study. Constructed between 1912 and 1914, the aqueduct exemplifies the complexities of preserving large-scale, aging infrastructure. Despite its historical and engineering significance, monitoring efforts have remained largely unchanged for over a century, relying on visual inspections and schematic documentation. To develop a comprehensive monitoring tool, a review of monitoring practices from academic publications and heritage management organizations—including UNESCO, Parks Canada, and Alberta Arts, Culture and Status of Women—was conducted, along with an analysis of the monitoring practices at the Brooks Aqueduct. This review aims to identify common practices and issues, and to examine the gap between research and practical application. This overview led to the development of the Snap Inspect Applications, a geo-relational database and mobile application. This tool integrates principles from failure analysis, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Industrial Archaeology to support preventive conservation. It enables the standardized recording of damage and repair data, spatially locates issues using GNSS coordinates, and facilitates the long-term curation of monitoring records. The system was piloted at the Brooks Aqueduct in 2019, collecting nearly 5,000 data points across one-third of the aqueduct, and an additional 2000 damages from a condition assessment previously conducted in 2015. The analysis of these data sets provides partial validation of the hypotheses held by the Heritage Resources Management Branch (HRMB) regarding damage distribution. The Brooks Aqueduct case study demonstrates how digital tools can transform heritage monitoring from a reactive to a proactive process, enabling more informed decision-making and sustainable conservation strategies. Ultimately, this research contributes to the growing discourse on industrial heritage preservation and offers a replicable model for managing at-risk cultural resources.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Archaeology

Grantor

Arts

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Robinson, Christina Elizabeth

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Dawson, Peter C

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Lichti, Derek
• Reese-Taylor, Kathryn V
• Oetelaar, Gerald
• Kennedy, Margaret Anne

• Industrial Archaeology
• Brooks Aqueduct
• Monitoring
• Preventetive Conservation

Statement dc:rights

• Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/51493

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/124991