PFRA Gravelbourg District Office

Assistance available

PFRA staff facilitate rural development and resource management within the district by providing technical and financial assistance to local clients. Projects under the Rural Water Development Program (RWDP) include water source developments such as dugouts, wells, group pipelines, tank loading stations, ground water investigations, and other water-related works.

District description

The Gravelbourg District, located in South Central Saskatchewan comprises of 20 rural municipalities (RM's) encompassing two million hectares of land predominantly used for crop and livestock production. The district extends north from the USA border 80 miles (128 km).

The district lies within the South Easterly portion of the Palliser Triangle which has been devastated by drought most significantly in the 1930's and 1980's. This arid to semi-arid region only receives average annual precipitation of 360 mm (14 in.) with average annual evaporation of 458 mm (18 in.). This has made water a primary concern for the region. Available ground water resources in many areas throughout the District are unsuitable for human and livestock consumption. Shallow wells and surface water storage by means of dugouts, reservoirs and stock dams experience shortages during periods of drought. A portion of the District consists of the Wood Mountain region with large quantities of excellent ground water supplies.

Grain and livestock production comprise the majority of the economy within the district. Over the last 5 years a shift towards specialty crops (canola, mustard, coriander, etc) and livestock (ostrich, elk, bison, etc) has occurred. This shift has resulted in a more diverse and adaptable agricultural industry. Periodic drought with the attendant risk of wind erosion constrain the rotations, types of crops which can be grown and the management of these crops. Rotations containing summerfallow will continue to be used on most annual cropland to manage drought risks. Moisture demanding crops such as canola and soft wheats are always a risk despite the use of soil moisture conservation practices such as direct seeding and zero tillage. Water constraints that hampered agricultural diversification into livestock have been removed in certain locations by rural water pipelines within the district and have generated economic growth.

The service industry is the next major industry within the district.

A small manufacturing industry is found within the district that employs significant number of employees but expansion to internationally competitive industries face significant hurdles of capital aquisition and a different marketing environment. This industry poses a significant opportunity for major economic expansion within the district and Saskatchewan.

Value added processing is occurring in small scale and pilot projects such as:

• Herb & Spices (primary and value added production)
• Essential Oils (dill oil)
• Meat Processing
• BBQ'd Meats
• Water Bottling
• Red Shale Products (Ornamental & cat litter)

Other value added opportunities that are being pursued within the Gravelbourg District are:

• Processing of used tires
• Oat Processing Plant
• 10,000 head Feedlot and small scale processing plant
• Wool Mill
• Hog Production Barns

There are natural resources such as: kaolinite, bentonite, salt and coal that could create opportunities for development. Exploration for precious and semiprecious stones shows promise and oil and gas exploration is continuing in the district. Another "natural" resource is the great plains landscape including the east portion of Grasslands National Park. This natural tourist resource is at it's infancy and is another industry with significant potential for the district. Prominent historical and natural features could make the tourism industry a major contributor to the overall economy of this region.

The Gravelbourg District Office maintains and operates a federally owned storage reservoir: Lafleche dam impounding Thomson Lake Reservoir provides a water supply to the town of Gravelbourg, town of Lafleche and a large rural area in the district. A further 450 cubic decameters annually can be allocated for rural water supplies while still maintaining a reserve to supply foreseeable expansion of the urban and irrigation uses the reservoir currently supplies. Reservoir capacity is 37,000 cubic decameters. The dam is equipped with an electric hoist, rails and a storage building.