The announcement by Premier Scott Moe that $22.5 million is being spent this year on planning of major irrigation expansion and water security projects was most welcome.
The $4 billion project will happen over 10 years, expanding irrigation some 500,000 acres. This will increase irrigated acres to 850,000 — or by 165 per cent.
Most of the expansion will occur west of Lake Diefenbaker with 80,000 acres in Phase One and 260,000 acres in Phase Two.
Phase Three, which will happen in the last part of the 10-year project, will irrigate 110,000 acres in the Moose Jaw region from Tugaske, Eyebrow, Marquis to Buffalo Pound Lake.
Expanding the west side first happens because this area has the best shovel ready projects — the first phase just requires rehab work on the 1970s west side canal to start delivering water.
Choosing the west side first for expansion of irrigation has long-term consequences for project benefits to Moose Jaw.
Not only will Moose Jaw have to wait longer for project development, the west side of the lake and Saskatoon-Outlook region will likely see benefits from irrigation that Moose Jaw will never experience.
Such a significant expansion of irrigation will attract processing facilities for new crops.
Plants will locate closest to the biggest stable supply of labour and irrigated land.
The way this expansion is phased, the most irrigation land will be near Outlook and west of the lake with the best labour supply in Saskatoon and Outlook.
Moose Jaw will be about the last place for processing plants when the project is completed around 2030.
Phase Three in the Moose Jaw region will be most expensive with the water conveyance channel from the Qu’Appelle Dam to Buffalo Pound Lake securing water supply in Southern Saskatchewan for generations.
This $4 billion project brings with it numerous challenges from building infrastructure to optimal usage.
The Moose Jaw region’s phase will require a reservoir in the Eyebrow area to store water for irrigation along the Qu’Appelle River.
One of the most intriguing challenges involves getting landowners on board with irrigation and choice of crops.
The Outlook region has never fully realized irrigation potential. Many of the small landowners shied away at first in the 1960s. When they retired and sold, the highest bidders were people from Saskatoon seeking the rural lifestyle.
Their rural lifestyle didn’t include investment in irrigation or smell from feedlots or annoyance of processing plants. That held up irrigation development.
Farmers in the Moose Jaw region who lobbied for irrigation 20 years ago have sold or are too old to start a new business with the investment that irrigation requires.
Choice of crops in expanded acreage will determine how much value the project creates. The most value will come from special crops — vegetables and fruit.
Canada only produces a fraction of the fresh vegetables and fruit consumed. This irrigation opens an opportunity to reduce the import bill and provide more food security in Canada. Incentives may be needed to guide to highest value crops.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
