MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Proponents of more irrigation in Saskatchewan shouldn’t let themselves be swayed by detractors and myths, says an engineer.
Dale Miller of Aecom, an international consulting company, has heard them all.
He told the Saskatchewan Irrigation Projects Association annual meeting that one of the biggest myths is that there is a lack of water in the South Saskatchewan River, which feeds Lake Diefenbaker.
He said Alberta sends probably closer to 70 percent of its water downstream than the 50 percent it is required to send. The annual average amount is 5.5 million dams cubed (1,000 cubic metres).
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Miller said the licenses issued to Lake Diefenbaker users require about 610,000 dams cubed and the new Upper Qu’Appelle Water Supply Project would need just 250 dams cubed.
“The issue is not water. It’s entitlement,” he said. “Be prepared to have agencies like SaskPower say we need that water for power generation.”
The crown corporation produces 186 megawatts of electricity from the Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station near the Gardiner Dam.
“The political decision here is who is entitled to the water,” Miller added. “That is a big issue.”
Another myth involves water from glaciers.
According to the Canadian Water Resources Journal, 2.8 percent of the flow from the Bow River comes from glacial melt. On the Red Deer River, glacial flow accounts for 0.6 of the total.
“If the glaciers dried up tomorrow, three percent or less (flow would be lost),” he said. “These are the facts that you have to get out.”
