The St. Mary River Irrigation District has issued a warning to all farmers in southern Alberta..Effective immediately, due to the extensive heat, lack of meaningful rainfall, unprecedented irrigation use to date and reservoir storage levels, the Board of Directors said it has made the decision to reduce water allocation at the farm gate of the Forty Mile Reservoir to 13 in. from 14 in., effective immediately..The reservoir is located in the County of Forty Mile, in southern Alberta.."We understand that some irrigators may not need their full 13-inch allocation for certain crops they are growing this water season," said General Manager David Westwood, of the St. Mary River Irrigation District.."If you are interested in selling some of your unused allocations, please contact the Lethbridge main office at 403-328-4401 and we will publish your contact details and available water for sale on our website to help connect you with irrigators who are interested in purchasing additional allocations this season.".Westwood said the board will continue to monitor the situation for future developments..A US$91.3-million project to replace the aging St. Mary Diversion Dam is expected to start construction in 2024, strengthening a system relied on by farmers and communities for water in Alberta and Montana, reports the Western Producer..A US official said the project will strengthen a system relied on by farmers and communities for water in Alberta and Montana.."Few improvements have been made to the American-controlled dam since it was built circa the First World War," said Tim Romanow, executive director of the Milk River Watershed Council Canada (MRWCC).."It provides up to 90% of the flow of the Milk River by diverting water from the St. Mary River near Babb, Montana, into a canal system linking the two rivers.".According to the MRWCC website, the Milk River watershed is a unique watershed located in the most southern part of Alberta. It is known not just for its dry climate, extraordinary landscapes and diverse plant and wildlife communities but also for the direction in which the Milk River flows..The Milk River is the only watershed in Alberta that drains south to the Gulf of Mexico. Alberta shares the Milk River watershed with the province of Saskatchewan and the State of Montana in the US..Romanow recently spoke at the recent annual conference of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association in Calgary..He said the failure in 2020 of a concrete drop structure forced the canal to shut down that summer, causing the Milk River to dwindle to a trickle..The river crosses the border into southern Alberta near Whiskey Gap, flowing east for about 280 Km before re-entering Montana. About 8,600 acres are under irrigation in the Milk River basin of Alberta, with about 125,000 acres in the Hi-Line of Montana, said Romanow.."Water shortages are not uncommon in the Milk River watershed. As the problem of water scarcity continues to grow, proper water and watershed management is critical," the MRWCC stated..The Western Standard reached out to the UCP government for information on the low water levels, but had not heard back by time of publication.
