Irrigation Development The Next Steps · 2013-04-15 · Irrigation Development – The Next Steps “Lake Diefenbaker offers opportunities for multi- use water based development in

Irrigation Development – The Next Steps

“Lake Diefenbaker offers opportunities for multi-

use water based development in Saskatchewan. It

was envisioned that the associated irrigation work

would carry water to approximately 450,000 acres

of irrigable lands.” Presented to:

Saskatchewan Irrigation Project Association

November 9, 2009

Presented by: Dale Miller, P. Eng., F.E.C.

Saskatchewan Irrigation Project Association – November 9, 2009 2

Presentation Overview

1. Current Development Level

2. The Potential

3. Highlights of three major project opportunities

• Westside

• Qu’Sip

• SSRID – Block 5

4. Needed next steps – what, when, why

5. Four Messages

6. Questions


Current Development Level



Lake Diefenbaker Development Area Irrigation Projects

2004

Project Acres

South Saskatchewan River Irrigation District 35,271

Macrorie Irrigation District 2,471

Luck Lake Irrigation District 8,602

Riverhurst Irrigation District 9,868

Thunder Creek Irrigation District 1,422

Grainland Irrigation District 2,141

River Lake Irrigation District 985

Brownlee Irrigation District 1,893

Hillcrest Irrigation District (from SSEWS) 3,497

Private Irrigators (from SSEWS) 13,953

Other Private Irrigators 20,928

Total 101,031



Lake Diefenbaker

Existing Irrigation

Development


The Potential


What is the Potential?

The Potential

Five studies were completed since 2006 identifying

potential infill, expansion and new projects.

3 Existing Projects (infill and expansion)

• Luck Lake Irrigation District

• Riverhurst Irrigation District

• South Saskatchewan River Irrigation District No. 1

(East Side)

and 2 New Projects

• Westside Irrigation Project

• Qu’Appelle South Irrigation Project


The Potential

Luck Lake Irrigation District Infill

and Expansion

(Golder, 2006-additional 9,400 Ac)


Luck Lake Irrigation District

Infill and Expansion

The Potential

Riverhurst Irrigation System

Expansion (Clifton, 2006 -

additional 10,900 Ac)


The Potential


and Expansion


Expansion

SSRID Infill and Expansion

(AECOM – Nov/06-additional

28,350 Ac)


The Potential


and Expansion

Westside Irrigation Project

(AECOM-March/06-332,000 Ac)


Expansion



The Potential


and Expansion




Expansion

Qu’Appelle South Irrigation Project

(AECOM-June/07 – 113,000 Ac)


The Potential

Summary

1. Current irrigation development from Lake Diefenbaker –

101,000 acres.

2. Potential expansion and infill of existing projects could

add about 55,000 acres.

3. Complete Westside Project – 332,000 acres (lake

portion).

4. Qu’Appelle South – 113,000 acres.

5. Total development could be 600,000 acres.


Highlights of Three Major Project Opportunities



The Development Concepts for:

• SSRID – Area 5 9,620 Ac

• Westside 332,000 Ac

• Qu’Appelle South 113,000 Ac



SSRID – Area 5 - Overview

• Lands formally considered for irrigation development

as part of Elbow Irrigation Project (Cochrane Lavalin,

1989).

• Layout – booster pump station near the start of the M1

Canal (3.5 m3/s @ 156 psi).

• 9,620 Ac block at the lower elevations adjacent to the

shoreline of Diefenbaker Reservoir.

• $32M (2006 dollars) - $3,332/Ac (excludes on-farm).





Westside Irrigation Project (not really a new project)

• Construction was initiated in the late 1960’s and abandoned in 1973.

• Earthwork and control structures on Westside Main Canal

completed to Conquest when work was halted.

• Two of three embankments of Conquest Reservoir completed.

• Westside pump plant structure completed.

• 80,000 acres of flood irrigation planned.

In the 1980’s farmers in the Macrorie area petitioned for revival of

the project.

• Two pumps installed and Westside Main Canal dyked off.

• Macrorie Irrigation District irrigates 2,500 acres.



Existing abandoned Westside Main Canal



• 332,000 acres serviced from an upgraded Lake Diefenbaker pump

station and an enlarged and extended West Main Canal.

• The extended canal follows the natural land contour to a point 1.2

km north of Tessier, where it divides into two smaller capacity

canals. One proceeds west to a syphon across Eagle Creek, and

the other one heads northeast and east to supply the Delisle West

– Asguith and Donavan Delisle blocks.

• Pump station situated along the main canals with a pipeline

distribution system services the land.

• Blocks at higher elevations (Zealandia, etc.) require a second

booster pump.

• Three reservoirs, Conquest, Eagle Hill Creek and Delisle

proposed, plus several re-regulation reservoirs.

• $1,738 Million (excluding on-farm) or $5,247/acre.

Westside Irrigation Project - Concept Today




South

Saskatchewan

River 25,000 Acres North

Saskatchewan

River 17,500 Acres

Lake Diefenbaker

332,000 Acres

Total =

375,000 Acres



Irrigable Land Blocks

Within the Westside

Irrigation Project

Saskatoon

Outlook

Gardiner

Dam



Qu’Appelle South Irrigation Project (Qu’SIP)

• 113,000 acres serviced from a pump station on Lake Diefenbaker

feeding into single main canal system paralleling the Qu’Appelle

Valley.

• Pump stations along main canal feed pressurized pipeline

distribution systems to provide water to individual land parcels.

• One reservoir proposed including a booster pump, plus several re-

regulation reservoirs.

• Main Canal spills into Buffalo Pound Lake. Route is currently

being considered as an alternative water source for Buffalo

Pound Lake and the lower Qu’Appelle system. (AECOM –

July, 2009)

• $559 Million (2007 dollars) or $5,054/acre.



Qu’SIP Potential Irrigable Land – 113,000 Acres

Option 2A – 110,500 Acres


Needed Next Steps


Needed Next Steps

1. Establish Entitlement to Water

• SSRID’s current licence is adequate to accommodate

expansion of the District.

BUT

• Both the Westside and Qu’SIP will need to obtain a

water licence.


Needed Next Steps

Estimated Water Needs

Annual Water Needs

Mean Upper Decile

Westside 524,000 dam3 620,000 dam3

Qu’SIP 170,000 dam3 210,000 dam3

Less – Allotment for

Westside 106,079 dam3 106,079 dam3

Total 587,921 dam3 723,921 dam3


Needed Next Steps

Availability

In flow – South Saskatchewan River

• After discounting for Alberta’s share

Mean - 5,500,000 dam3

90% Probability 3,000,000 dam3

• Total licenced diversion is presently 616,000 dam3* +

• Need approximately 600,000 dam3 in new licences

• Water is available – Entitlement must be determined

* Not all consumptive


Needed Next Steps

• Alberta’s 1.5 million acres of irrigation is supported by

3.0 million dam3 of storage.

• Lake Diefenbaker storage is 9.4 million dam3 (live is

4.3 million dam3).


Needed Next Steps

2. Obtain Better Topography Info

• For all three studies topography information consisted of

10 m contour maps.

• The available topographic information is the single most

limiting factor in the refinement of the canal and pipeline

routing.

• Better topographic information is also needed to advance

siting of reservoirs, wasteways, syphons, etc. and to

evaluate drainage.

• Lidar - approximately $400,000.

2. a) Review/Refine Routing – All Three Projects

• With better topography, routing and cost estimates can

be refined.


Needed Next Steps

• Eagle Hill Creek

• Qu’SIP Midpoint Reservoir (Eyebrow Hills Reservoir)

• Conquest

• Delisle

• Other possible sites

3. Advance Reservoir Concepts ($2 - 2.5 Million)

Information on any of the proposed reservoir sites is very

limited. The reservoir concepts need to be addressed in

more detail to determine their suitability, cost, impact, etc.

Will require:

• Surveys

• Geotechnical

• Hydrology

• Hydrogeological studies


Needed Next Steps


Next Needed Steps

4. Conduct Irrigation Suitability Study on Targeted

Lands - 500,000 Ac - 600,000 Ac +

• Previous studies of the available soils information

identified only the best likely soils suitable for irrigation.

• Assumed 130 acres/quarter

• Detailed Soil Suitability will be required virtually for all

the potential development.

• Irrigation certification work could easily take 3-5 years

to do. It should be started NOW.

• Focus on slight to moderately limited lands

• Target easily accessed sites within these lands

• $2,000/quarter.


Needed Next Steps

Irrigable Blocks


Needed Next Steps

Land Irrigability –

Keeler

• Shallow loam & clay

loam Bradwell / Elstow &

Weyburn loam soils.

• Soil depth / shallow

bedrock may limit

irrigability.

• Saline lands to east

removed.

• Some sloughs.


Needed Next Steps

14,300 Acres


Needed Next Steps

5. Confirm Project Boundaries

Factors:

• Farmer interest mapping

• Soil classifications

• Available funding

• Policy development – Do we include isolated parcels,

or large blocks significantly away form water source?

• Do we include blocks that are suitable but maybe of

little interest today?

• Politics


Needed Next Steps

6. For Qu’SIP - Confirm intake and pump station locations

and regulatory requirements (fish exclusion, etc.)

• Bathymetric surveys will be required to confirm location

• Geotechnical

• Regulatory constraints

• Power supply

• Capacity (part of Upper

Qu’Appelle Conveyance ? ?)


Needed Next Steps


Needed Next Steps

7. For Qu’SIP - Finalize spill location into Buffalo Pound and

spillway concept and capacity (part of Upper Qu’Appelle??)

• Surveys and geotechnical needed.

• Will it be combined with Qu’Appelle conveyance?


Needed Next Steps

8. Geotechnical

• For Westside and Qu’SIP, lining is a major component

of canal costs. A geotechnical investigation of the

proposed canal alignment would provide information

on soil texture and the local water table.


Needed Next Steps

9. Start Regulatory Approval Process (2 - 4 Years)

Several approvals will be required under various Provincial and

Federal Legislation.

• Environmental Assessment Act (Provincial)

• Environmental Management and Protection Act (Provincial)

• Canadian Environmental Assessment Act

• Fisheries Act (DFO)

• Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (Provincial)

• Wildlife Habitat Protection Act (Provincial)

• Species at Risk Act

• Heritage Property Act

• Navigable Waters Act


Needed Next Steps

Any of the Previous Activities May Trigger Other

Requirements – Be Prepared for Surprises

In particular, regulatory approvals will take significant time and

may have cost impacts.


Other Steps (Lower Priority)

10. Balancing Reservoirs - Qu’SIP and Westside will

require several balancing reservoirs to improve

management and operations, to reduce capacity of the

system and supply surge protection, etc. Initial sizing

and siting needs to be done.

11. Drainage - An allowance for land drainage, particularly

in parts of the Westside Project, was included in the

Study. To what extent it is needed is unknown.

• Include screening in soil irrigability assessment

• Combine with topography survey and mapping

Needed Next Steps


Other Steps (Lower Priority)

*12. Water Management Plan - Water will allow countless

opportunities for other enhancement. This study would

look at opportunities to enhance regional development

and the environment as part of the Project.

Needed Next Steps


Four Messages


Four Messages

• Engineering is a straight-forward application of

mathematics and physics. Once decisions are made it

is a matter of following an implementation plan.

• Government delays, regulatory hurdles, policy

decisions (or indecisions), public support, bureaucratic

structure: all will have a bigger impact on the

implementation and eventual cost than the engineering.

1. Politics Trumps Physics


Four Messages

• The economics show it has a significant cost benefit.

• It fits well with the need for economic stimulus.

• You have been talking about it for years.

2. To the Politicians

“!@#$% or get off the pot”.

• Commitment is needed with real money, $10M/year for

2 to 3 years, and $50 - $100 M/year during

construction.

• Without a firm commitment with adequate funding,

nothing will move forward.


Four Messages

• Federally or Provincially, you are not currently structured to

undertake such a massive capital project.

• Ask yourself “How you would spend $50 million, or even

$5 million if you were given it”

3. To the Government Departments

“Start looking at the mechanism that will be

needed to make it happen”.

• You may require legislative changes to structure and

procedures.

• You may require the creation of new government agencies.

• In any event, the structure will require timely decisions on

spending large sums of money.

• The governments ability or inability to implement such a

major undertaking should not impact the project.


Four Messages

• You are being heard, but more needs to be done.

• The decision to proceed will be based on politics.

4. To SIPA and the Landowners

“Keep spreading the word”.

• In particular, develop strong allies: the cities, rural

economic development groups.

• Keep control. Do not expect others to sell irrigation.

• When the money comes, stay involved.

• Sell it as a Required Water Supply System that

benefits everyone, and not just irrigators.


Implementation

1. Feasibility Studies – Completed

• AECOM Reports

• Clifton’s Economic Study

Typical Project Development

2. Complete Needed Next Step Tasks (Pre-Design)

• Appropriate funding must be provided

• Tasks could be completed in 3-4 years

• Typically 1 ½ - 2 % of project costs

• For Qu’SIP, would need $4-5 million/year budgeted – cannot do

it with a bunch of $300,000 studies.

3. With Proper Implementation Plan Design/Construction of Project

• SSRID - 4 years

• Qu’SIP - 10 years

• Westside – 15-20 years


Questions

Irrigation Development The Next Steps · 2013-04-15 · Irrigation Development – The Next Steps “Lake Diefenbaker offers opportunities for multi- use water based development in

Documents