Fighting drought | Canal provides water to 37,000 acres of irrigated land
Even dreams need upkeep.
Rehabilitation work is well underway on the M1 Canal north of Lake Diefenbaker and the Gardiner Dam in central Saskatchewan.
The canal was first considered more than 80 years ago during the Dirty Thirties and was part of a larger dream to build Gardiner Dam and Lake Diefenbaker.
Gerry Gross, agrologist for the provincial agriculture’s irrigation branch, said the need for irrigation was the driver for building the dam and providing economic benefits.
“In the 1930s the thought was, how are we going to drought proof Saskatchewan,” he said.
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The dream included a water delivery system that could supply about 500,000 acres of irrigated land and provide water to Saskatchewan residents.
The M1, operated by the irrigation branch, went into operation in 1967, shortly after the dam’s completion.
Designed as a gravity canal, M1 encompasses the East Side Pump Station located at the dam and runs 22.5 kilometres north to the Broderick Reservoir. Recent upgrades completed at the pump station include new electrical switch gear, refurbishment of pump motors, replacement of the roof, removal of asbestos wallboard, replacement of wet well dewatering valves and upgrades to the cooling and ventilation system. It has four pumps with a combined output of 6,350 horsepower and maximum flow rate of 23 cubic metres per second.
The canal provides water for 37,000 acres of irrigated lands in the South Saskatchewan River Irrigation District.
The system was recently drained so backhoes and bulldozers can enlarge and reshape the canal. The bed is being widened three metres and the bank’s side slopes trimmed to a three to one pitch.
The existing surface liner, dating back to 1992, is being replaced with a new and improved plastic liner that stretches from the top of each bank. Coarse gravel buries the new liner and forms a protective armour against damaging ultraviolet rays, wind and seepage.
“It’s a rehabilitation project that will extend the life of M1 Canal another 50 years minimum,” said Jason Drury, irrigation engineer with the irrigation branch.
With an anticipated project completion date of 2020, the upgraded canal will deliver 28 cubic metres per second, about a 50 percent greater flow rate.
The M1 is the main artery to a much larger system downstream. As part of the irrigation district, it serves 450 km of other canals, drains and gravity pipelines.
It also delivers the source water for the Saskatoon South East Water Supply system, owned and operated by Sask Water. The SSEWS consists of a series of gravity canals and reservoirs serving six communities, three potash mines, 14 Ducks Unlimited projects and 57,000 acres of irrigation. It’s 110 km long, beginning at the Broderick Reservoir and ending at Dellwood Reservoir near Lanigan, Sask. Rehabilitation of that system is expected to begin within the next five years.
What began as a dream in the 1930s motivated by necessity has faded of late, said Gross. He believes today’s public is generally unaware of the canal’s importance as a major source of water and economic spinoffs. People take their water for granted, he added.
“When you look at the development around Blackstrap Lake, well those million dollar homes would not be there without that little channel, which is 250 cubic feet per second,” he said.
“It’s just a small channel which people drive across at 110 km on Highway 11 or 15 and they don’t realize that they’ve crossed over the lifeline for water supply all the way up to Lanigan. It’s a huge economic impact for Saskatchewan, which flies under the radar.… This impact is not just for 36,000 acres of irrigation and South Saskatchewan Irrigation District. The upgrade is a vital upgrade for Saskatchewan’s economy.… We’re trying to sustain what we have but build in capacity for expansion because expansion will come. If the water is there, it will come.”
The reservoir and dam’s original visionaries in the 1930s and 1940s dared to dream big when they designed a system that could supply 500,000 to 600,000 acres of irrigated land.
“You talk about the dream of drought-poor Saskatchewan providing water to Saskatchewan residents, which the lake was built for,” Gross said.
“This is still the evolution of the dream. No one would think it would take this long. Forty-five years later and we’re still pumping around 100,000 acres of irrigation when the plan was to be 500,000 acres of irrigation.”
However, Drury said the province is now in an enviable place because of the underused lake in a resource hungry world. The ongoing upgrade and rehabilitation is needed for present day sustainability and future utilization.
“We’re expanding the shores of Lake Diefenbaker,” he said.
“What we’re trying to do is take that jewel that we have here in Lake Diefenbaker. We’re blessed with this lake and this opportunity and it’s really under developed.”
