A Winnipeg company will spend the next three years evaluating the suitability of Saskatchewan land identified for possible irrigation.
Nearly 20,000 acres within the existing South Saskatchewan River Irrigation District (SSRID) near Outlook, could be irrigated if the soil and water quality allow, said John Babcock, director of Saskatchewan Agriculture’s irrigation development branch.
“We are responsible to ensure that any lands included in irrigation are certifiable,” he said.
The government recently signed a consulting service agreement with Jacques Whitford AXYS Ltd. worth nearly $298,000.
Consultants will test soil and water, inspect fields and map the areas.
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Seven blocks of land within the district, east of the M1 Canal on the east side of the river, were identified in previous studies.
They do not include the projects known as Westside and Qu’Appelle South, Babcock said, which would both be expansions.
Westside potentially includes 375,000 acres and Qu’Appelle South would add 110,000 acres.
Babcock said each project has gone through the conceptual study phase.
“There’s a lot of work to do,” he said. “It would take significant dollars to bring those projects into expansion.”
The SSRID project is considered infill and would use existing infrastructure to irrigate more land.
If the land meets certifiable standards, individual farmers would have to apply for an irrigation licence from the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.
“For the existing district, the reality is the water is available,” Babcock said. “We’re looking at the future.”
However, he said farmers still have to pay for their on-farm infrastructure, which costs $80,000 to $120,000 per pivot.
Babcock said farmers could grow good quality crops with assured water supply. As well, irrigation development could attract more value-added, secondary industry.
