Irrigation Initiatives and Pilot Projects
Sustainable Water Management
2023 Stakeholder Engagement
The Water Security Agency (WSA) collaborated with Irrigation Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Agriculture to host an Irrigation Water Workshop on December 4, 2023, during the Irrigation Saskatchewan Conference in Saskatoon. This workshop aimed to facilitate collaboration among irrigators, producers interested in irrigation, industry representatives, and government officials. It served as a platform to update participants on the current state of irrigation water use, monitoring, reporting, and compliance tools, and to gauge interest in offering flexibility in allocation.
A total of 79 participants attended the Irrigation Water Workshop, representing 30,061 acres of developed irrigation in Saskatchewan. At the beginning of this workshop, participants received an overview of WSA’s current water monitoring and reporting methods, compliance tools, and the allocation process for irrigation in Saskatchewan.
Following the results of this workshop, WSA is collaborating with irrigators, Irrigation Saskatchewan, and industry partners to implement initiatives and pilots that will further enhance irrigation water use monitoring in Saskatchewan during the 2024 growing season and beyond. For more details on the outcomes of this workshop, please read the summary report here.
Irrigation Water Usage Monitoring and Reporting Initiative
The demand for expanding irrigation has been unprecedented, with significant interest expressed by clients throughout the province, including systems and basins with limited water for new development. Such opportunities reinforce the strength and diversity of Saskatchewan’s agricultural industry.
As the expansion of irrigation puts increased pressure on our shared water resources, the need for more rigorous monitoring and reporting becomes essential. WSA recognizes the diverse uses of water within the province and is committed to ensuring that water usage remains within licensed limits.
To this end, WSA is collaborating with Irrigation Saskatchewan to improve our monitoring and reporting processes for irrigation activities in the Swift Current Basin, Saskatoon Southeast Water Supply System (SSEWSS), and the Upper Qu’Appelle River. This initiative involves a dedicated employee from Irrigation Saskatchewan, trained by WSA, assisting irrigators in calibrating their systems and enhancing the frequency of water usage reporting during the 2024 growing season.
This work is based on the current requirements for irrigators in the Big Stick and Battle Creek Basin, who are currently required to report their irrigation water usage to WSA on a bi-weekly basis. In 2024, irrigators from these three additional systems in the province have volunteered to report their water usage to WSA using the same methodology and frequency. A detailed report of the findings of this initiative will be released following the 2024 growing season.
Electromagnetic Flow Meter and Remote Reporting Pilot
WSA is evaluating solutions that will enable simple, effective, and accurate monitoring and reporting of irrigation water usage. WSA has consulted with industry representatives from jurisdictions in the USA and Alberta, identifying that modern flow meter technology capable of remote reporting is likely the most reliable method for tracking irrigation water usage in real time.
The initiative will explore the use of electromagnetic flow meter technology for real-time tracking of water usage. This technology is low maintenance, cost-effective, and has remote real-time reporting capabilities that can transmit data directly to WSA. It also helps keep irrigators up to date by sending flexible SMS and email alerts indicating total water usage during a growing season, assisting producers in their irrigation scheduling decisions.
These flow meters are extremely accurate, boasting around a 98% accuracy rate for tracking water usage on irrigation systems with any diameter of pipeline. With no moving parts, unlike older propeller meters, these are well-suited for measuring surface water usage and will not affect the flow rates of irrigation systems.
Technology with these capabilities will not only support further irrigation expansion but also ensure compliance with Water Rights Licenses. Eight of these flow meters will be installed and tested during the 2024 growing season at locations in the Southwest and central Saskatchewan. A final report, outlining WSA’s first year of piloting this technology and user experience, will be provided after the 2024 growing season.
Satellite Soil Moisture Irrigation Water Usage Monitoring Pilot
In 2024, WSA is piloting the use of satellite soil moisture monitoring as a method for determining irrigation water usage volumes in collaboration with Nave Analytics and Planet Labs. This pilot will focus on three regions in Saskatchewan, utilizing satellite microwave remote sensing of soil moisture to monitor irrigation water use. At all three sites, electromagnetic flow meters will be used to verify the accuracy of the data provided by the satellite technology.
This technology has been employed by other jurisdictions, including the Dutch Water Boards in the Netherlands. It has been shown to improve monitoring and reporting of irrigation water usage by providing soil moisture insights, shortening the measurement cycle, and reducing the need for site visit verifications.
The 2024 pilot will provide insights into whether this technology can be used effectively in Saskatchewan as an auditing tool and/or to provide supplemental data to expand reporting and monitoring on a larger scale. A report on the results of this pilot will be prepared after the 2024 growing season.
What Else is Happening Across Saskatchewan?
WSA takes the role of managing water seriously and is always researching new ways to help producers across Saskatchewan. With that responsibility comes a need for new data and analysis of trends and emerging projects. Right now, WSA is working with a number of groups to collect that information and share it with interested stakeholders. Click the headers below to learn more about some of these partnerships that WSA is collaborating on.
In 2020, The Gust family sought advice from the Water Security Agency (WSA) about pumping excess water from low-lying areas for irrigation. This proposal soon evolved into an agricultural water management (AWM) demonstration project, making it possible to adapt to weather extremes that bring severe droughts or disruptive floods and still grow quality crops. The project involves draining over 40 quarters of land into a reservoir which is then used to run an existing irrigation pivot with a second pivot planned.
Jeff Odgers Agricultural Water Management Research Project
Growing conditions in 2021 demonstrated how essential irrigation management is for the 2,000-acre Odgers family farm and its 130-head commercial cattle herd. A 50-acre pond has proven a reliable source from which to pump water. Managing water usage through irrigation has added value to the land and provided multiple benefits for the Odgers.
Aaron Gray Demonstration Project
With flood and drought protection all rolled up into one project, Langenburg farmer Aaron Gray is making plans for irrigation. The idea behind Gray’s drainage and water retention system is to maintain reservoirs on the farm at half full capacity or less to capture runoff. The system features control structures between reservoirs.