Analysis of Agricultural Water Supply Issues: National Summary

2.0 PROVINCIAL SUMMARIES

2.3 Saskatchewan

The following text summarizes information from the report titled Analysis of Agricultural Water Supply Issues - Prairie Provinces - National Water Supply Expansion Program.

2.3.1 Issues/Constraints and Information Gaps

Similar to Alberta, much of the water supply in Saskatchewan exists in the northern part of the province where little agricultural production occurs. As well, drought often affects much of the agricultural region of the province, but it has been particularly prevalent in the southern and western parts of the province.

For the bulk of its consumptive use, the Province relies almost equally on groundwater and surface water. Irrigation use accounts for the highest portion of surface water consumption, whereas municipal/domestic and industrial use accounts for the greatest portion of groundwater consumption.

Much of the groundwater in Saskatchewan has very high total dissolved solids concentrations, which severely limit its use. Although water treatment is feasible for municipal and industrial uses, the cost is too expensive for most agricultural uses.

There is a lack of water distribution infrastructure to move sufficient quantities of high quality water to regions that are prone to water shortages. The lack of funding for regional water supply networks limits the number of projects that can be built. There are also a number of large infrastructure projects that require rehabilitation and/or major maintenance.

There is a need for information on surface water availability and on the sustainability of groundwater aquifers. A need also exists for development of plans for long-term water supply projects.

The main issues, constraints or knowledge gaps identified in the consultative process included:

• Groundwater quality limits its use for agricultural purposes;
• Drought, unreliable surface water supplies;
• Lack of large infrastructure and distribution infrastructure;
• Limited information on water availability (groundwater and surface water);
• Poor on-farm water quality; and,
• Limited local capacity to fund regional water supply development.

2.3.2 Priorities

The study identified the south, southwest, northwest, west-central and central areas of the province as having been the most impacted by the recent drought. The study did not illustrate whether the eastern part of the province had other water supply constraints. Recommended funding options included:

• Planning, regional water supply studies including short and long-term planning;
• Programs to increase education on water conservation and efficient use of water;
• Programs to support collection of groundwater data and development of a groundwater information database;
• Development of a Saskatchewan Centre of Excellence focussed on all aspects of water supply, conservation and water quality;
• Targeted community water supply infrastructure, primarily regional pipelines;
• Programs to support groundwater investigations and long-term groundwater monitoring to determine availability, quality and sustainability of supply; and,
• Assisting on projects that would allow existing infrastructure to be used at its potential capacity.

2.3.3 Recommended Program Principles, Elements, or Criteria

The general recommendations include funding for the two broad categories of:

• Program development - targeted funding to assist with planning studies, investigations of the water resources, or database management; and,
• Project work - specific projects, generally infrastructure, that address short-term and long-term water supply problems.

Recommended criteria for program design and implementation include:

• Sustainability of supply;
• Extent of contribution to rural development/renewal;
• Extent of value added from project;
• Dynamic rural community;
• Extent of diversification benefits;
• Extent of population benefiting from project; and,
• Over-sizing of infrastructure facilities to accommodate 10-20 year time frame should occur at the expense of the program.

2.4 Manitoba

The following text summarizes information from the report titled Analysis of Agricultural Water Supply Issues - Prairie Provinces - National Water Supply Expansion Program.

2.4.1 Issues/Constraints and Information Gaps

The agricultural region in Manitoba is diverse and can range from being flood-prone in some areas to drought-prone in other areas. Manitoba has not recently experienced the same severity of drought as the other Prairie Provinces; however, severe water supply constraints exist in many parts of the province.

The drought prone regions are primarily the Red River valley west of the Red River, the Plumas-MacGregor region, and the southwest portion of the province. Currently there are no strategies to address long-term water supply needs in these areas. There is limited information on alternative water sources and limited funding for development of regional water supply networks.

Specific commodity groups continue to grow in the province and require constant supplies of good quality water. In particular the use of irrigation for high-value crops has created high demands for water supplies. For example, the number of irrigated acres in potatoes increased from 8,600 in 1988 to 54,000 in 2001. The Provincial strategy is to increase the irrigated acres in the Province and as such there is a need for funding to support the development of large-scale irrigation infrastructure. The hog sector has also experienced growth and a need for improved water supplies.

Although information on groundwater availability exists for those aquifers that are well documented, there is a need for further exploration in some areas. In particular there is a lack of information on groundwater resources in the southwestern part of the province. A comprehensive groundwater database does not exist for the whole province.

The primary constraint to water supply development for agriculture in Manitoba relates to limited financing for, and a high demand for, large infrastructure development. The main issues, constraints or knowledge gaps identified in the consultative process included:

• Lack of water in specific regions (e.g. Red River Valley, SW portion of province, Plumas-MacGregor region);
• Lack of groundwater information (e.g. poor database);
• Inadequate large-scale irrigation infrastructure for growth in value-added crops sector;
• Lack of good quality water for domestic use to ensure populated rural areas;
• Lack of long-term stable funding for water supply development; and,
• Lack of research and development related to water supply issues.

2.4.2 Priorities

The study identified several regions where water supply constraints are a continuing concern. Many of these constraints are related more to a general lack of good quality water rather than to drought vulnerability. Recommended funding options included:

• Water supply developments for the irrigation of high-valued crops in selected areas;
• Water supply development for hog and potato production;
• Infrastructure (community or individual) to improve access to safe and reliable water supplies for rural, municipal and on-farm domestic use (including source development, distribution and treatment);
• Programs to support collection of groundwater data and development of groundwater assessments in select areas; and,
• Programs to support construction of off-stream storage reservoirs or other water supply impoundments in select areas.

2.4.3 Recommended Program Principles, Elements, or Criteria

The general recommendations include funding for the two broad categories of:

• Program development - targeted funding to assist with planning studies, investigations of the water resources, or database management; and,
• Project work - specific projects, generally infrastructure, that address short-term and long-term water supply problems.

Recommended criteria for program design and implementation include:

• Improves quality of life (health and safety of water supply);
• Extent of contribution to rural development/renewal;
• Extent of economic benefits from project;
• Promotes conservation of resource;
• Extent of population benefiting from project (Public versus Private good);
• Regional equity;
• Extent of commitment in place; and,
• Extent of cost-sharing.