(file photo/CKOM)

By CKOM

Saskatchewan gives green light to $4B irrigation project at Lake Diefenbaker

Jul 2, 2020 | 12:48 PM

The Government of Saskatchewan has announced a $4-billion irrigation project at Lake Diefenbaker.

In a media release Thursday, the provincial government said the project will irrigate up to 500,000 acres of land from Lake Diefenbaker.

That will more than double the irrigable land in Saskatchewan.

The first stage of the project is an immediate $22.5-million investment in engineering and initial construction. Construction is expected to take place over the next 10 years at a cost estimated at $4 billion.
“The announcement of this generational project will see the vision of Lake Diefenbaker completed over the course of the next decade,” Premier Scott Moe said in the release.

“By doubling the amount of irrigable land in our province, this project will be a massive step in completing the goals our government has set out in our 2030 Growth Plan.”

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Phase 1 of the project, which is expected to cost $500 million, will include the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing Westside irrigation canal system. That’s expected to increase the amount of irrigable land in the area by 80,000 acres.

The second and third phases are to cost up to $3.5 billion.
Phase 2 will involve the expansion and buildout of the Westside Irrigation Project, a move that will add another 260,000 acres of irrigable land. That includes areas near Macrorie, Milden and Zealandia, and as far north as Delisle and Asquith.

The third phase will feature the buildout of the Qu’Appelle South Irrigation Project, which would add about 120,000 more acres of irrigable land.

Starting at Lake Diefenbaker and going south, the project would run near Tugaske and Eyebrow, down to Marquis and into Buffalo Pound Lake.

“It would provide the Moose Jaw-Regina corridor and southern Saskatchewan with a secure source of water for the next century and act as a catalyst for significant industrial expansion in the years to come,” the media release said.

In addition to starting construction of the Westside Irrigation Project, work this year also will feature preliminary soil quality analysis of the Qu’Appelle South Irrigation Project area.

The government estimated its investment in the project will add between $40 billion and $80 billion to the province’s gross domestic product over the next 50 years. The project also is expected to create 2,500 construction jobs each year over the next decade.
“I look forward to working with producers, industry and government partners to expand irrigation capacity in Saskatchewan,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said in the release.

“From diversifying crop production and attracting more value-added processing, to benefitting local economies and adding to our long-term food security, increased irrigation opportunities support a profitable and sustainable economy.”

The provincial and federal government are discussing the possibility of federal funding for the project.

More to come.

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