More funding committed to Alberta irrigation

A further $117.7 million is being provided to modernize irrigation infrastructure and increase water storage in southern Alberta, boosting to nearly $1 billion what was already one of the largest irrigation expansions in the province’s history.

The money is being made available through a partnership between the provincial government, the federal Canada Infrastructure Bank, and 10 irrigation districts.

It joins $815 million announced more than a year ago, with the total funding of nearly $933 million set to expand irrigation by up to 230,000 acres — nearly 15 percent more than the 1.44 million acres already under irrigation in the 10 irrigation districts, said a provincial statement.

It will mean “higher yields for crop production for global markets, and it also means better conservation and management of our scarce water resources,” said Premier Jason Kenney at a news conference Nov. 12. He called it “another win for jobs in the economy, a win for diversification, a win for a farmers, and also a win for Alberta’s environment and our water resources.”

However, the Alberta Wilderness Association said in a statement Nov. 15 “this large expansion of reservoirs, pipelines and irrigated lands … has largely been presented as a foregone conclusion. It hasn’t undergone any public consultation and no environmental impact assessment of the project was conducted.”

Many of the proposed works under the irrigation expansion have already been started, it said.

“Environmental risks need to be better understood before proceeding with a project of this magnitude — especially with such a large investment of public money,” AWA conservation specialist Phillip Meintzer said in the statement.

Irrigated agriculture already takes up 78 percent of water allocations in the Bow and Oldman River basins, said the statement.

“Approving expanded irrigation acres will only serve to intensify water use in basins that are over-allocated, rather than considering the needs for healthy aquatic ecosystems and the potential impact of the climate crisis on water availability.”

The announcement of the extra $117.7 million in funding was made Nov. 12 at farm near Calgary by Kenney, along with Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development Minister Nate Horner. Two more irrigation districts, Leavitt and Ross Creek, have come in as partners, joining the Bow River, Eastern, Lethbridge Northern, Raymond, St. Mary River, Taber, United, and Western irrigation districts.

“By modernizing and building new irrigation infrastructure, we will increase irrigated acreage, increase primary crop production, and improve water use efficiency,” said Horner.

“This will also increase water storage capacity, enhance water security, provide flood protection and support long-term, value-added processing activity. It will also play a key role in Alberta’s recovery plan, creating thousands of jobs and increasing agricultural GDP contributions by millions (of dollars).”

Such objectives will be achieved “while sticking within existing water licence allocations,” he said. “I look forward to seeing more projects break ground over the coming years.”

When asked at the news conference if he had heard any concerns from environmentalists about the irrigation expansion, Horner said “I have not in in my limited time in this role … but I think it’s important to point out that all of this expansion is done with existing water licence, so this is (about) how we’re finding the efficiencies to get the new acres …”

He was sworn in as agriculture minister following the resignation of Devin Dreeshen on Nov. 5.

AWA said for the initial $815 million portion of the project alone, the proposed work includes constructing hundreds of kilometres of pipelines to replace open-water canals, along with “four off-stream storage reservoirs — either expanded from existing reservoirs or completely new.”

Besides the new infrastructure, it will involve an increase in hundreds of thousands of irrigation acres “supposedly gained through efficiencies created from the conversion of canals to pipelines.”

The initial eight irrigation districts had to present all of the proposed works together to reach the minimum cost threshold to qualify for funding from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank, said the statement.

“However, once the funding agreement was approved, the proposed works have been presented as individual projects. The cumulative impact of all 57 projects is not being considered.”

AWA said it recognized the benefit of converting canals into pipelines toward boosting water-use efficiencies. “Provided these efficiencies do not increase ecosystem risk, we call upon the Government of Alberta to apply a significant share of the publicly financed water conservation gains to improve in-stream flows for healthier ecosystems, rather than allocating them solely for the benefit of a single industry.”

Contact doug.ferguson@producer.com