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Saskatchewan to go ahead with $4-billion irrigation project

July 2, 2020  By Top Crop Manager


Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced today that work will begin immediately on a project that would see up to 500,000 acres of land irrigated with the waters of Lake Diefenbaker. This will more than double the current amount of irrigable land in Saskatchewan.

The cost of the project, which will take approximately ten years to complete and involve three phases of development, is estimated to cost $4 billion.

“The announcement of this generational project will see the vision of Lake Diefenbaker completed over the course of the next decade,” Moe said.  “By doubling the amount of irrigable land in our province, this project will be a massive step in completing the goals our government has set out in our 2030 Growth Plan.”

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Lake Diefenbaker is a manmade lake created by the Gardiner Dam (across the South Saskatchewan River) and Qu’Appelle River Dam (across the Qu’Appelle River). The dams began construction in 1959 and the lake was filled in 1967. Water from the South Saskatchewan River is diverted to the Qu’Appelle River to prevent dangerous ice build-up in the former and to keep the latter from drying up in the summer.

For more details on the three phases of development, visit the Saskatchewan provincial website.

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