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Alberta developing a plan for drought

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Published: April 18, 2002

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – As another Alberta drought threatens to blight

this growing season, contingency plans are in place to manage water

sharing, improve crop insurance and extend farm water-pumping plans.

“It has never been this dry for this period of time for the last 100

years,” said Lloyd Andruchow of Alberta Agriculture.

Last fall, 90 percent of the province reported inadequate soil moisture

reserves.

Armed with that knowledge and weary of ad hoc payments to rescue

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farmers plagued by weather disasters, the province has ordered a

permanent drought management plan.

Since 1984 the province has spent $1.4 billion on ad hoc weather

related payments to Alberta farmers.

“We were directed to work with other departments to develop a more

consistent approach to managing drought conditions,” said Andruchow.

“We can no longer afford the ad hoc responses or the criticism over the

equity of our programs from one drought area to another,” he told the

Alberta branch of the Canadian Water Resources Association meeting in

Medicine Hat.

While no one can make it rain to refill the dugouts, make the pastures

grow or germinate the crops, there are various aid programs in place to

mitigate some of the problems associated with multi-year drought.

Low interest loans and acreage disaster payments are also in the cards.

The province is revising crop insurance wherever possible, including

broader pasture coverage.

More real time weather stations have been installed around the province

to provide hourly reports on temperature, precipitation, humidity and

wind.

The farm water program was extended to Nov. 30, 2002. This program

provides equipment and funding for water wells, dugouts and pipeline

projects.

The province also wants a detailed inventory of water sources,

livestock water supplies, soil moisture reserves and irrigation water

supplies. It wants to establish a reliable drought index where dryness

is rated from moderate to extreme so specific areas may be monitored

more closely. This system is already in place in the United States.

Alberta Environment is also developing a long-term water strategy to

address sharing, conservation and future needs.

The environment minister has invited 80 people to work through public

submissions compiled from more than 7,000 submissions this spring.

The strategy is due for release in October so it may be included in the

next provincial budget.

About the author

Barbara Duckworth

Barbara Duckworth

Barbara Duckworth has covered many livestock shows and conferences across the continent since 1988. Duckworth had graduated from Lethbridge College’s journalism program in 1974, later earning a degree in communications from the University of Calgary. Duckworth won many awards from the Canadian Farm Writers Association, American Agricultural Editors Association, the North American Agricultural Journalists and the International Agriculture Journalists Association.

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