Recently in Irrigation Category
In this posting I would
like to talk about how events upstream of Lake Diefenbaker may limit irrigation
development in Saskatchewan in the future. Irrigation development, like many
other investments, has a long payoff period and it is important to understand
how changing circumstances can alter these payoffs over time. We need to ensure
that plans to expand irrigation around Lake Diefenbaker account for future
developments.
Continue reading Climate Change, Water Demands and Irrigation.
Lake Diefenbaker has been the ugly duckling of irrigation projects since its birth for a variety of geographic and socio-economic reasons. Is it now turning into a swan? And if so, why would that be? Look no further than the United States and Alberta. In the United States, agriculture accounts for 80% of the country's water consumption and over 90% in many Western States. Irrigated cropland area has expanded 30 percent since 1969, making irrigation agriculture the dominant user of fresh water in the United States.
Continue reading Lake Diefenbaker - The Ugly Duckling Story?.
Are the stars finally aligning to see significant new irrigation development in Saskatchewan?
The Saskatchewan Irrigation Projects Association has been advocating more public investment in irrigation development for years, but little has happened. At the annual SIPA meeting in December, there was renewed optimism that the time is now right.
Continue reading Time for more irrigation development?.
Gardiner Dam, located 25
kilometers downstream from Elbow on the South Saskatchewan River, opened on
June 21,1967, in conjunction with the Qu'Appelle River Dam. Both projects
helped to create Lake Diefenbaker, a 225-kilometer long reservoir with a full supply level of 556.86
meters. The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority directs the operation of Lake Diefenbaker and consults with SaskPower
to ensure discharges can be effectively handled at SaskPower's downstream Nipawin and E.B. Campbell hydroelectric plants.
Continue reading Regulating Lake Diefenbaker.
