Battling consistent drought in recent years, the St. Mary River Irrigation Distinct has set its allocation at 14 inches from the farm gate for 2026.

Based on modeling and snowpack data supplied by Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, it is better news from 2025 where the benchmark was 12 inches, and initially dwindling to eight inches in 2024, as irrigators had to tighten their belts.

WHY IT MATTERS: With billions of dollars of irrigated agricultural production up for grabs in Alberta, getting good news from Mother Nature in water availability helps power the region economically.

“We are very comfortable a 14-inch allocation will allow irrigators to grow a successful crop in 2026, while also allowing the district to meet storage targets for winter 2026. Our board also factors in current storage levels,” said Cory Nelson, chairman of the board of directors for the SMRID in a press release, after emerging from its March meeting.

“While the warmer temperatures this winter resulted in a reduced snowpack overall for the southern tributaries, strategic investments in off-stream storage reservoirs allowed for the capture of an additional 155,000 acre-feet of early runoff water in winter 2025/2026.”

Current storage levels within the district’s reservoirs are at 246,000 acre-feet, which represents 80 per cent of the full supply level (FSL).

The headworks reservoirs, comprised of the Waterton, St. Mary and Milk River Ridge reservoirs, are sitting at a combined storage of 374,000 acre-feet, or 77 per cent of the FSL. The current total of all of the storage in the St. Mary Project reservoirs is 620,000 acre-feet, or 79 per cent of FSL.

The largest contributor to the SMRID water supply, Flat Top Mountain, has made modest gains since the February update and continues to report above the lower quartile.

The Many Glacier snow pillow is reporting well below the lower quartile, and has accumulated substantially less snow water equivalent than this time last year.

Average on-crop use across the district in 2025 was 9.5 inches, in an SMRID region which has over 2,000 km of canals and pipeline, which spans from Lethbridge to Medicine Hat, and serves 518,000 acres, as it continues building projects to serve the region.

Irrigated land within Alberta irrigation districts generates 28 per cent of Alberta’s total Agri-food GDP.

Annually, irrigation-related activities in Alberta’s irrigation districts generate $5.4 billion to provincial GDP, $3.2 billion in labour income, and supports approximately 46,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

AIM pipeline projects completed to date from 2020 within the SMRID, have resulted in an estimated 21,900 acre-feet of water savings on an annual basis.

Additionally, infrastructure improvements done by SMRID as well as on-farm efficiency improvements translate into 9,200 and 16,300 acre ft of additional efficiency gains each year, respectively.

“Based on modelling, storage and snowpack data, the board’s 14-inch allocation for 2026 supports the environmental realities of projected runoff supply and existing 2026 storage. We are eager to complete two additional Alberta Irrigation Modernization (AIM) projects in 2025/2026, which will bring the total AIM Program projects completed to 24 of the 30 modernization projects,” said David Westwood, general manager pf SMRID.

“These pipeline projects have resulted in efficiency gains across the district, and tangible improvements to water management.”

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“We are going into the year with full reservoirs, which is nice, especially since the snowpack in the mountains is still in that lower quartile,” said Alex Ostrop, chair of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association (AIDA) and board member of the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID).

“It’s very similar to last year, but the biggest difference is last year we went into the season with empty reservoirs, and this year we’re going in with full reservoirs. We had the low on-farm allocation, but in the end it didn’t really have a material consequence because we had those timely rains in May and June.”

SMRID boosted its allocation from eight to 12 inches of water per acre at its annual general meeting in early April thanks to the full reservoirs. However, last year’s rain will be seen as a bonus rather than an expectation going forward.

“Next year’s snowpack will be very important because we are not really counting on the same May-June rain this year,” said Ostrop, a farmer near Grassy Lake.

“If they come, fantastic, but if it’s a year of normal consumption of agricultural demand, then we will probably be going into next year with lower reservoir levels.”

Alberta has approximately 1.5 million acres of irrigated land for agricultural use.

Those attending the SMRID meeting were told the district has added 90 parcels.

Expansion is always met by raised eyebrows by some during drought conditions, but Ostrop said irrigation districts’ efficiency has grown by leaps and bounds.

“Overall, our water security over the last few years has improved despite the drought-like conditions. Our expansion has been less than the efficiencies gained,” said Ostrop.

Each year, the province and irrigation districts make investments in the system through the Rehabilitation Program. In the province’s 2024 budget, $19 million was allocated to the program.

Fourteen projects have begun or progressed in Alberta’s 11 irrigation districts since the funding was announced. There was the $130 million Chin Reservoir expansion announced in 2021 that is still in its study stage that will add up to 200,000 new irrigated acres to the districts.

“There are big numbers being thrown out at the $130 million, but you have to put that into perspective that 70 per cent of that is funded by the irrigation farmer for the irrigation districts. It’s still the farmer that is paying the vast majority of it,” said Ostrop.

“All the irrigation farmers are paying for it, and they are paying for it for the goal of increased water security.”

The majority of gains have been made through farm practices such as moving from flood irrigation to low-pressure nozzles.

Variable water rates make the necessary adjustments so that hill tops are watered slightly different than the draws.

“There are still more efficiency gains to be had, even at the on-farm level. It requires more investment and more technology. The easy stuff has been picked over already, but there is still plenty of efficiency that can be gained,” said Ostrop.

“Everyone recognizes water security is the most important thing other than seed and sunshine. Farmers don’t think quarter to quarter, even year to year. It’s generational.”

Four per cent of the province’s agricultural cultivated land is irrigated yet makes up close to 30 per cent of Alberta’s agriculture gross domestic product.

This allows for greater crop mixtures and an agriculture economy that can diversify, both in local value-added processing and commodity exports.

There are no permanent standing bodies of water southeast of the Rockies in Alberta. The irrigation reservoirs are also seen as lakes, providing fish habitats and recreational opportunities.

“Over 60 communities get their water because of irrigation infrastructure. Obviously, it’s important for the farmer and the Alberta economy,” said Ostrop.

“But it has also shaped the life of the southern part of this province. Many of these towns wouldn’t exist otherwise.”

Farmers are irrigating significantly more acres than they were 50 years ago, and yet the overall diversion of water is less than it was 50 years ago.

“Sustainability is at the forefront of everything that we do,” said Ostrop.

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At this year’s meeting, growers were told they can expect a full foot of water this season.

“Our reservoirs look much better going into this crop year,” said George Lohues, chairman of the board of directors for SMRID.

It’s still lower than normal, with past years seeing allocations of 16 inches, but it’s a step forward as the region emerges from drought conditions.

In January 2024, combined storage including the headworks reservoirs was only 33 per cent of the full supply limit (FSL). Snowpack was far below normal, and in some areas, lower than the last significant drought year of 2000-01.

At one point municipalities in the region were concerned they wouldn’t be able to meet the demand for water for human consumption, and the result was the province organizing drought-planning workshops with key water license holders.

“I thought we did a great job last year of being an active participant… as we went into water-sharing talks,” said David Westwood, general manager of SMRID. “Districts basically asked the other organizations ‘tell us what you think you need,’ minding that we should all share in some of the pain and they did. Really, it was the agriculture industry, and irrigated agriculture in particular, who said we will help us get through this water shortage.”

The total water use for 2024 was 411,000 acre feet, with an additional 110,000 acre feet added to SMRID’s internal reservoir storage for the 2025 season, for a total diversion of 521,000 acre feet, part of why the water allocation has risen this season.

”That 110,000 acre feet is looking very, very promising for this year,” Westwood said.

The irrigation district used about 411,000 acre feet for the past season, compared to a long-term average of around 535,000.

“We definitely used a lot less water than we normally would,” Westwood said. “That really helped us replenish our reservoirs and put us into a better situation.”

Winter storage targets are at 84 per cent, according to SMRID operations manager George Bohner, along with snowpack that is slightly better than the previous year. Based on 30 years of records, maps show 60 to 85 per cent of normal precipitation in the southwest corner of Alberta. Similar mappings shows the Cypress Hills area at 150 per cent of normal precipitation.

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