Although the spring runoff potential has been predicted to be near or below normal for the region, the province is looking to mitigate the damages from surface water drainage for local producers.

The Government of Saskatchewan has announced they will invest $5 million in the Saskatchewan Conservation and Development Association (SCDA) to help advance the Agriculture Water Management Strategy.

The funding partnership between the SCDA and the provincial government will act to support conservation and development formation, goverance support and funding, project development, qualified person support, engineering and legal and mediation support.

“We are supportive of the government’s approach to agriculture water management and now have meaningful resources to ensure we can better use our existing expertise, while also developing new sources of strength for the future,” said SCDA President, Cliff Lowenberger.

The Agricultural Water Management Strategy looks to support local producers by providing responsible drainage solutions and has seen a five-fold increase in land that has been brought into compliance over the last four years.

Currently, the Water Security Agency is working with landowners on more than 20 organized draining projects on over 200,000 acres.