Extra funding dedicated to Alberta irrigation
An additional $117.7 million is being offered to modernize irrigation infrastructure and enhance water storage in southern Alberta, boosting to just about $1 billion what was already one of many largest irrigation expansions within the province’s historical past.
The cash is being made obtainable by way of a partnership between the provincial authorities, the federal Canada Infrastructure Bank, and 10 irrigation districts.
It joins $815 million introduced greater than a yr in the past, with the entire funding of practically $933 million set to broaden irrigation by as much as 230,000 acres — practically 15 p.c greater than the 1.44 million acres already beneath irrigation within the 10 irrigation districts, mentioned a provincial assertion.
It will imply “higher yields for crop production for global markets, and it also means better conservation and management of our scarce water resources,” mentioned Premier Jason Kenney at a information convention Nov. 12. He known as 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 mentioned in an announcement 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 beneath the irrigation growth have already been began, it mentioned.
“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 mentioned within the assertion.
Irrigated agriculture already takes up 78 p.c of water allocations within the Bow and Oldman River basins, mentioned the assertion.
“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 additional $117.7 million in funding was made Nov. 12 at farm close to Calgary by Kenney, together with Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development Minister Nate Horner. Two extra irrigation districts, Leavitt and Ross Creek, have are available as companions, becoming a member of 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,” mentioned 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 targets will likely be achieved “while sticking within existing water licence allocations,” he mentioned. “I look forward to seeing more projects break ground over the coming years.”
When requested on the information convention if he had heard any considerations from environmentalists concerning the irrigation growth, Horner mentioned “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 mentioned for the preliminary $815 million portion of the venture alone, the proposed work contains setting up a whole lot of kilometres of pipelines to interchange open-water canals, together with “four off-stream storage reservoirs — either expanded from existing reservoirs or completely new.”
Besides the brand new infrastructure, it would contain a rise in a whole lot of hundreds of irrigation acres “supposedly gained through efficiencies created from the conversion of canals to pipelines.”
The preliminary eight irrigation districts needed to current the entire proposed works collectively to succeed in the minimal value threshold to qualify for funding from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank, mentioned the assertion.
“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 mentioned it acknowledged the good thing about changing canals into pipelines towards 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
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