New drainage rules will reduce tensions
Re: Kevin Hursh’s column, “Sask. drainage rules ratchet up the tension,” (WP, Nov. 22).
The new Water Security Act has very few changes that affect law-abiding citizens. The Agricultural Water Management Strategy presently being implemented is the key to changes in water policy in the province. The most significant change is that the Water Security Agency (WSA) will have the unauthorized and illegal ditches in the province either licensed or closed in the next 10 years. Fancy that, getting farmers to follow the laws that have existed for decades.
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The act is not going to raise tensions in the long term and will most likely lower them. Tensions between neighbours illegally draining on neighbours are already high. Neighbours wanting to be good neighbours just accept the water and, unless the damage is too much to bear, don’t complain to anyone.
A perfect example is a neighbour of mine whose neighbour wanted to run a drainage ditch across his land. He said “no” as it would eliminate the wetland where he watered his cows. During the night, his “good neighbour” did the ditching anyway. Now my neighbour had to construct a dugout and has to pump water from over a mile away each year. He did not complain to authorities as he wished to be a “good neighbour” and his neighbour didn’t even get compensated for the damages, only a “sorry.” This is an example of the bullying and recklessness of some of the illegal pro-drainers in our province.
Bad drainage is draining onto neighbours’ land causing damage, damaging the environment without knowing the consequences, and all the while doing this illegally. Draining is a privilege and not a right.
Since 1981 all farm drainage needed a permit, but even then, drained land that was doing others damage could still be complained against and be required to be closed.
Another inaccurate fact expounded by Kevin is that “no maintenance of drains is allowed.” If you are talking about channel clearing natural waterways, that can still be done with a permit under conditions from WSA.
And where did Kevin ever get the idea that addressing combine ruts “is technically not allowed?” If he’s talking about disguising actual drainage by using ATV, tractor, combine or other machinery rutting, then he’s right, but the assertion that fixing machinery ruts is drainage is absurd.
It is estimated that 95 percent of the drainage in the province was done without authorization and illegally (Upper Assiniboine River Basin Report).
I do agree with Kevin on a couple of points: the Water Security Agency shouldn’t be rushing to drainage complaints based on whether a person has complained or not. The need is to stop the illegal drainage where it is doing the most harm to others or the environment. Ignoring multiple quarters draining hundreds of acres of land while investigating a private road crossing installation of a culvert six inches too high is ridiculous.
The other fact asserted — that the WSA does not have enough staff — is correct in my opinion. The drainage issue has been relatively ignored by all levels of government and all stripes of political persuasion, and maintaining the status quo of staff and resources will not address this in a timely fashion.
And where did Kevin get the idea that the accumulative effect of draining “1.6 million to 2.4 million acres of land (with) unapproved drainage works” (Provincial Auditor’s Report June 2018) would “contribute very little to downstream flow?” As well, let’s not talk about the contribution of nitrates, phosphorus, pathogens, pesticides and sedimentation that also goes downstream.
The only farmers being vilified are the illegal ones.
The silent majority believe in following the laws and being respectful to neighbours, including not only consulting them, but getting permission before draining water on to them.
Jeff Olson
executive director,
Citizens Environmental Alliance
Beaver Hills, Sask.
