'Many unanswered questions' about Lake Diefenbaker irrigation project, SARM says

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) is calling on the provincial government for an update on the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project.

Originally announced in 2020, the $4 billion project was envisioned to assist a region of Saskatchewan hit by years of droughts, SARM said in a news release.

The project is set to provide water for over 500,000 acres of farm and grain land and as a result, assist industrial and potash operations as well as increase provincial GDP by an estimated $40 to $80 billion.

“The government has already allocated $45.5 million for preliminary engineering and environmental work on the first phase of the project and has said construction could start in 2023,” Ray Orb, President of SARM, said in the release.

“At this time, most of the work beyond rehabilitating existing canals is in the conceptual phase, and there are many unanswered questions.”

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Orb outlined that SARM is seeking an update on phase one, division five of the project, a section of the operation with 90 per cent of the canals already constructed.

Phase two of the project is set to begin with the buildout of Project Two Westside, which will irrigate up to 260,000 acres of land.

“We recognize that this is a long-haul project that will positively impact rural municipalities in 50 years,” Orb said.

“[We] are committed to helping rural residents increase their crop diversity, and farm profitability, with irrigation, with Project 1 launching sooner rather than later.”