Environmental group says Lake Diefenbaker irrigation study not enough

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While one Saskatchewan environmental group is “pleased” there will be a review on the first phase of the Lake Diefenbaker irrigation project, another doesn’t think it’s enough to truly understand potential risks to the province’s water supply.

Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency (WSA) plans to submit the Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project (WIRP) to the Ministry of Environment for an environmental assessment before moving ahead with construction, it announced last week.

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Nature Saskatchewan president Lorne Scott says he still has concerns about wider impacts of the megaproject.

“To have a proper review would be much preferred than this window dressing,” said Scott. “It’s basically, unfortunately, an exercise in rubber-stamping a project that proponents want to see go through no matter what.”

However, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) says it’s “pleased” to see WSA engage in this process considering there was uncertainty around whether it would do a Phase 1 environmental review at all.

“Some of the earlier rhetoric on this project made it sound like they might try to avoid doing an assessment and I think a project of its magnitude and consequence requires one,” said Robert Halliday, SES vice-president.

The first phase looks to build out 90,000 acres of irrigable farmland at an estimated cost of $1.15 billion. Once all three phases are complete, the total expansion is envisioned to cover 500,000 acres.

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Province anticipating federal involvement

Nature Saskatchewan and SES have both been vocal in their opposition to the Lake Diefenbaker project since it was first announced by the province in 2020.

SES was one of 13 signees on a 2021 petition organized by Nature Saskatchewan that asked the federal environment minister to intervene and mandate a study under the Impact Assessment Act.

Scott says Nature Saskatchewan still wants to see WSA engage in a full-scope assessment that looks at the entirety of the project, especially its impact on the South Saskatchewan River Delta’s wetlands, water flows and water quality.

“It is an interprovincial waterway and it’s not just Saskatchewan. The water comes from Alberta. What’s left ends up in Manitoba and it affects Crown land, which is First Nations land,” Scott said.

Added Halliday: “The feds do have some responsibilities here, certainly for the Indigenous file, fisheries and things like that, and so there’s some ways they could get involved here.”

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The Saskatchewan government has been negotiating a cost-share agreement with Ottawa to support the Lake Diefenbaker project since 2020, but federal officials have not yet committed any funds.

Diefenbaker irrigation expansion

Lauded as the largest public works venture in the province’s history, the three-part Lake Diefenbaker project is intended to double the farmland connected to Saskatchewan’s irrigation network.

Phase 1 aims to modernize existing infrastructure, including 45 kilometres of canals to handle increased water flow, construct a new reservoir and upgrade the Westside pump station.

Shawn Jaques, WSA president and CEO, said the voluntary environmental review is for the sake of “transparency and accountability.”

“This is a generational project and like any large project the province would undertake, we want to make sure that we do it the right way,” said Jaques.

The assessment process is designed to consider potential risks to wildlife, habitat or water quality and include public engagement, including Indigenous communities. It could take between six months and a year, pushing construction to late 2026 or 2027.

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The next two phases — Westside expansion and the Qu’Appelle South project — are expected to expand capacity north towards Asquith and south towards the Moose Jaw-Regina corridor.

A precise timeline for the completion of all three phases has not been announced.

A 2024 economic analysis by consulting firm KMPG estimated the Westside project has a potential $5.9-billion return on investment through gross domestic product growth over 50 years, with 70 per cent — about $4.4 billion — remaining in Saskatchewan.

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