One thing is certain: Alberta’s irrigation sector has the ear of the provincial government.
The sector, which is in the midst of an expansion worth nearly $1 billion, now gets top-line billing in the recently revamped Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation ministry. Its new deputy minister, Bassano-area crops and cattle producer Jason Hale, was chair of the Eastern Irrigation District until his recent appointment.
“It will do nothing but help continue to raise the profile of irrigation,” said David Westwood, general manager of the St. Mary’s River Irrigation District.
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“We knew (the provincial government) wanted to continue to invest in irrigation to help stimulate the economy and rebound from COVID and the depressed energy prices that we had for multiple years. In my mind, it’s reaffirming that they really see the value of irrigation to the province.”
“It shows the government is clearly recognizing the importance of irrigation, perhaps more so than they have in the past,” added Richard Phillips, general manager of the Bow River Irrigation District.
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The irrigation sector is in the process of putting an additional 230,000 acres under irrigation, a 15 per cent jump from the current 1.44 million acres in the 10 participating irrigation districts. The expansion won’t require additional water because a large portion of the funds are being used to accelerate or expand plans to replace canals with underground pipes.
The province is covering 30 per cent of the $934-million price tag, with the irrigation districts putting in 20 per cent and taking a low-interest loan for the other half from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank.
Some of the money is for new or expanded reservoirs, including a five-fold expansion of the Snake Lake Reservoir northwest of Brooks, which had a preliminary price tag of $170 million.
Hale, who was also vice-chair of Alberta Beef Producers, cited that project in his resignation letter to the Eastern Irrigation District.
“I am very excited for the future of irrigation in our district and the province of Alberta,” Hale wrote.
In addition to increasing reservoir capacity, the program will accelerate replacement of open canals with underground pipelines to reduce water loss from evaporation and leakage.
The St. Mary’s River Irrigation District, which amalgamated with the Taber Irrigation District in August and now stretches from Lethbridge to Medicine Hat, has completed eight of 30 pipeline modernization projects and rebuilt the spillway at the Sauder Reservoir.
“We’re coming along very well,” said Westwood. “We aggressively went after many projects when the program was announced, starting many projects in the first couple of years. We’re now getting into our third winter working on these and we’re happy with the progress on the modernization side, which is really the pipe side.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Sourcing PVC pipe has been a problem because of supply chain issues.
“The supplier has had some challenges at times keeping up with the aggressive demand,” said Westwood. “We’re working through it for sure.”
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His district is also undertaking a major reservoir expansion. The proposed $130-million expansion of the Chin Reservoir east of Lethbridge is proceeding through the regulatory review phase, but Westwood said it is “coming along.”
“We will be making our official environmental impact assessment application to Alberta Environment before the end of the year,” he said. “That’s our goal. Then, from what I understand, there’s going to be up to two years before they make a ruling on that. We don’t think construction will start until 2025 or 2026.”
The Bow River Irrigation District is hoping to start construction on the Dead Horse Coulee Reservoir, a new reservoir near Enchant, in the spring of 2024, said Phillips, adding seven pipeline modernization projects are complete and work on the final one between Enchant and Vauxhall will start this winter.
“It involves the modernization of one block of our district that’s currently a mix of open canals and smaller pipelines,” he said. “This huge pipeline project will begin this winter and tie all of these smaller pipelines into larger pipelines and replace all of the canals with pipelines.”
It’s all about improving efficiency, said Phillips.
“Pipelines have no seepage, no evaporation, no spills. They’re completely efficient as far as conveyance goes. They save water, making more available to producers. Because we’re improving efficiency, we’ll save water and therefore will have water for expansion.”
All of these projects are expected to support 25,000 potential new irrigated acres, he said.
The Glenwood-headquartered United Irrigation District, which supplies farmers with water from the Belly River and the Waterton Reservoir, has finished its three canal-to-pipeline projects. Chair Duane Nelson said the district was able to avoid some of the pipeline supply issues other districts have faced.
“We’re kind of happy that we have all ours done. (Supply problems have) put a real bind on irrigation districts getting pipe. I hear some projects are looking at three years before they can even get pipe for them.”
