Major irrigation plan for south Saskatchewan going for environmental assessment

By Medicine Hat News on April 16, 2025.

@MedicineHatNews

A plan to irrigate 100,000 acres of farmland west of Lake Diefenbaker in Saskatchewan is heading to a provincial environmental assessment.

The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency said Monday the initial portion of a larger plan to rehabilitate and extend canals in the region will undergo the review.

The assessment move would examine water quality and supply, and allow feedback from interested parties and licence holders in the design process, according to a government release Monday.

“Irrigation Saskatchewan is pleased to see this project moving forward and the government’s commitment to doing it in the right way,” Irrigation Saskatchewan chair David Bagshaw said.

The larger project would provide water to as much as 260,000 acres in total at a cost of $1.15 billion, for agricultural use and to boost the province’s gross domestic product.

Two public information sessions on the project were held in Conquest, Sask., east of Rosetown, on Tuesday.

Initial design phase is being done by a joint venture from Stantec and MPE engineering firms.

Major construction is tentatively planned to begin in 2026.

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