Red Deer River

Wet winter needed to feed next years' crops, say Alberta irrigators amid early water shut-off

Wet winter needed to feed next years' crops, say Alberta irrigators amid early water shut-off

Lake Newell, a reservoir south of Brooks, Alta. that helps feed water to farmland as well as various municipal, industrial, wildlife and recreational areas, is less than half the level it should be heading into winter. The lake is a part of the Eastern Irrigation District (EID), an area east of Calgary bound by the Red Deer river to the north, and the Bow River to the south. On Sept. 25, EID shut down its irrigation season roughly two weeks ahead of when it normally would, due to dry conditions throughout the summer that have strained water supply. 

Potential expansion of irrigation in east-central Alberta could be ‘a boon,’ says area reeve

Potential expansion of irrigation in east-central Alberta could be ‘a boon,’ says area reeve

The Alberta government is partnering with the Municipal District of Acadia, the Special Areas board and the Canada Infrastructure Bank to continue planning a large-scale irrigation project for east-central Alberta. A total of $7 million is being invested in a two-year study that will explore the feasibility of the project, which proposes to increase water storage by pumping water from the Red Deer River into new reservoirs.