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SW Saskatchewan | I happen to be on a committee that is debating the "transfer arrangement" for a large number of Govt(PFRA) irrigation districts in SW SK.
The problem is that the most important issue is not allowed to be on the table - the issue of water rights!
The Provincial Govt in their wisdom ceded their actual control over the water rights issue back in the 1930's when the feds(PFRA) developed these projects as a "make work" project to allow local farmers and their horses to earn enough cash money to be able to pay their taxes.
As part of the arrangement, old water rights dating back before the founding of the province were lumped into a new "water right" by the province and granted to the feds who now owned the rights and could license them back to the irrigators at their discretion.
The whole irrigation set-up in SW Sask is worthless WITHOUT a source of water - and the lisence we operate under could disappear tomorrow! This year, even with record snowpack, we could be short of water because our resevoir is NOT being filled because it is being held in reserve to take water later for "Flood protection" for a little burg downstream where our provincial MLA just happens to live.
It would be interesting IF we could show an alternative source of water and tell GOVT to take their water and "stuff it" right up some enviromentalists posterior.
Thanks for your posting and links you have supplied. | |
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what would one additional guaranteed acre foot of available water be worth to your farm?
