BRID update: new reservoir project grinds along, irrigation acres still available

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Vauxhall Advance

By Cal Braid
Vauxhall Advance
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Sept. 9, Bow River Irrigation District General Manager Richard Phillips gave an update on the Deadhorse Coulee Reservoir project that plods along slowly and steadily. Unlike the District’s BK pipeline projects, the Deadhorse is another animal altogether.

 He said, “Things grind along very, very slowly on reservoir projects. The status is at the preliminary design phase and will be wrapping up pretty soon, and then we’ll be making applications for approvals to proceed with the project. So that’s where we’re at. We’re progressing with our engineering and other investigations. I think the earliest possible time for any construction would be over a year out still, but it’s possible that, if everything goes really well from here on, we might see some construction starting in late ‘25, but that would be the earliest.”

 Acquiring the land is a key piece of the puzzle, and the District is still trying to strike deals. “We have not concluded landowner negotiations with the reservoir, so those are continuing through this winter,” Phillips said.

 Further to the south, the St. Mary River Irrigation District has been hammering away at a similar undertaking, the Chin Expansion Project. The process, as detailed in a recent Southern Alberta Newspapers story, requires the District to clear hurdles with governments, regulatory agencies, and stakeholders.

 The SMRID project must be carried out in compliance with provincial and federal legislation, including the Fisheries Act; the Species at Risk Act; the Migratory Birds Convention Act; and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

 Other applicable legislation includes the Historical Resources Act; Water Act; Wildlife Act; Public Lands Act; Soil Conservation Act; and Weed Control Act. Indigenous impacts are considered; financial commitments must be secured; and things grind along rather slowly.

 On the farming side of things, a year ago the District had 500 acres available for intensification. Intensification simply refers to extra irrigation for farmers who want to add it to existing parcels. The District sold about half of those acres in 2024 and Phillips said that about 250 acres are still available for farmers who are planning to expand their operations going forward.

 “An irrigation acre is not an acre of land, it’s the right to irrigate an acre of land,” he said. “We assign irrigation acres to land. For intensification, we’re talking about having irrigation acres that can be assigned to land that already has irrigation acres on it. So, if someone wants to put up a new pivot on a dry quarter, we don’t have anything for them. But if they already have a pivot and want to add a corner arm–so they need another 20 acres for a corner arm–that’s where we have 250 acres available.” It’s intended for those who want to increase the reach of their pivot systems, and farmers can tap into it for $3,000 an acre.