After World War II, Canada as a nation was starting a new era of economic and population growth. The war efforts created a major boost to the economy and the country was seeing surging industrial production and consumer spending.
Enter the 1950s, Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker and the South Saskatchewan River Project. As a Saskatchewan Member of Parliament, Mr. Diefenbaker understood two major components to growing a province and a nation: water and agriculture.
The construction of what would become Lake Diefenbaker was part of a broader plan known as the South Saskatchewan River Project. The project aimed to provide a reliable water source for irrigation, generate hydroelectric power and support the province’s economic growth.
For over half a century, this man-made lake has played a crucial role in the lives of Saskatchewan’s residents, serving as a vital resource for agriculture, energy and recreation. Its creation marked a significant achievement in Canadian engineering and its impact continues to resonate throughout the province.
Recognizing the need for a sustainable solution to the challenges brought by southern Saskatchewan’s arid climate, the federal and provincial governments embarked on a project to harness the waters of the South Saskatchewan and Qu’Appelle rivers.
The construction of Lake Diefenbaker involved two major dams: the Gardiner Dam and the Qu’Appelle River Dam. Work on these structures began in 1959 and the project required a massive workforce, advanced engineering techniques and substantial financial investment. The Gardiner Dam was a monumental feat of engineering, standing 64 meters high and stretching five kilometers across the South Saskatchewan River. Completed in 1967, the Gardiner Dam is one of the largest earth-fill dams in the world today. The Qu’Appelle River Dam, located near the town of Elbow, also played a critical role in the project, helping to regulate water flow and manage the reservoir’s levels.
The creation of Lake Diefenbaker provided a reliable water source for irrigation, transforming previously barren and dry lands into fertile fields capable of producing high crop yields. The lake’s waters support thousands of acres of irrigated farmland, enabling farmers to grow a diverse array of crops, including grains, oilseeds and pulses.
Today, Lake Diefenbaker continues to stand as an important resource for Saskatchewan’s agricultural sector. It serves as the largest source of water for irrigation in the province, supplying six irrigation districts, numerous individual irrigation projects and the Saskatoon Southeast Water Supply (SSEWS) canal system. It supplies 166,000 acres of the provinces over 450,000 irrigated acres.
Beyond agriculture, Lake Diefenbaker is a recreational haven, drawing thousands of visitors annually. The lake’s expansive waters are ideal for boating, fishing and water sports, while the surrounding parks offer camping, hiking and wildlife watching.
The lake also provides drinking water to 60 per cent of Saskatchewan’s population. The hydroelectric power generated by the Gardiner and Coteau Creek dams is another critical aspect of Lake Diefenbaker’s importance. The two dams produce approximately 186 megawatts of electricity, supplying power to thousands of homes and businesses across the province.
The lake is also an important ecological hub in Saskatchewan, supporting a diverse range of wildlife and aquatic species. The lake is home to various fish species, including walleye, northern pike, lake trout and burbot, making it a popular destination for anglers and a crucial habitat for aquatic biodiversity. Additionally, Lake Diefenbaker provides essential nesting grounds for the piping plover, an endangered shorebird that relies on the lake’s sandy and gravelly shorelines for breeding.
While Lake Diefenbaker’s origins lie in irrigation, there is still untapped potential for the more than 225-kilometre-long freshwater reservoir.
Originally built for 500,000 acres of flood irrigation, the reservoir has only seen over 166,000 acres of pivot irrigation. To date, infrastructure for only 29 per cent of the originally planned irrigated acres from Lake Diefenbaker have been constructed.
This creates a significant opportunity for the province to realize the dreams of expanded irrigation in Saskatchewan. The Government of Saskatchewan recognized this and is investing in the expansion of the province’s irrigation infrastructure with projects like the 100,000-acre Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project that will expand and modernize existing infrastructure constructed nearly 50 years ago, including the West Main Canal, Westside Pump Station and the partially completed Conquest Reservoir.
This Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project will enhance food and water security, create jobs, boost the economy and make positive impacts to the environment. The project will also include measures to protect and preserve the lake’s ecosystem and water levels. Currently less than 2.7 per cent of water in Lake Diefenbaker is used for irrigation; to put this into perspective, 3.3 per cent is lost to evaporation. Adding 100,000-acres of irrigation from Lake Diefenbaker would require around two per cent of the average inflow into the lake. This means that Lake Diefenbaker would maintain normal water levels for generations to come.
Despite its many benefits, the expansion of irrigation around Lake Diefenbaker is not without challenges and concerns. That is why the Water Security Agency is engaging with the public, stakeholders and Indigenous communities to address any potential concerns or environmental impacts.
As we look to the future, the expansion of irrigation and water management initiatives around Lake Diefenbaker represents a promising path forward. By embracing innovation, sustainability and community collaboration, Saskatchewan can ensure that this remarkable reservoir continues to thrive for decades to come.
On April 15, 2025, the Government of Saskatchewan lead by the Water Security Agency and the Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation (WIRP) Core Project Team (CPT) hosted a Public Information Session in Conquest, to share information on the WIRP with interested local RMs, residents from the project area, producers, local area landowners, the public, and stakeholder / non-government groups and environmental groups. The goal of the Public Information Session was to provide information and engage in respectful and ongoing communication with the public and interested stakeholders, while gaining public input on the approximately 100,000-acre irrigation project. Learn more and read the full report here.
Irrigation is defined as the application of water to land or crops to help growth; however, in Saskatchewan, irrigation has a much deeper meaning. Irrigation means having a reliable water supply for agriculture to boost crop yields, support economic growth and enhance food security and environmental sustainability.
In regions like Saskatchewan, annual precipitation is often insufficient to meet the needs of certain crops, such as vegetables. Irrigation can help to meet those needs, unlocking new crops for Saskatchewan, decreasing the need for imports and creating more jobs. The Saskatchewan government’s Growth Plan aims to add 85,000 irrigated acres by 2030. With a growing need to feed the world, Saskatchewan has a significant opportunity to continue and expand its already vital role in the world agriculture supply.
What is Irrigation?
Irrigation is a process through which water is supplied to crops to promote growth, maintain soil moisture and ensure adequate yields. The higher the yield, the more food is produced per unit of land. Unlike rainfall, which can be unpredictable and unevenly distributed, irrigation allows producers to control the timing and amount of water their crops receive. This control is critical for optimizing crop health and limiting the effects of drought to ensure consistent production.
An example of how irrigation is beneficial is to compare crops to house plants. People typically water their plants before their plants need water. They have control over the watering of their plants. Irrigation allows producers to do the same, on a much larger scale. They now have more control over the watering of their crops, as opposed to waiting for rain to fall.
How Does Irrigation Work?
Irrigation involves diverting water from sources such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs or groundwater and applying it across fields. In Saskatchewan, Lake Diefenbaker is the largest source of water for irrigation.
There are various methods and irrigation systems that can be employed, each with varying levels of efficiency, cost and complexity. An irrigation system needs a few key components: a water source, a distribution network (pumps, pipes, canals or ditches) and delivery mechanisms (sprinklers, drip emitters, etc.).
The efficiency of irrigation systems varies depending on the method used. The most common method in Saskatchewan, accounting for over half the province’s irrigated acres, is centre pivot irrigation, which operates like a large overhead sprinkler system. This method has a water efficiency rating of roughly 80-90 per cent, ensuring that more water reaches the crops where they need it and less is wasted. Other types of irrigation in Saskatchewan include drip (typically small scale for horticulture), linear pivots, volume guns, wheel moves, sub-surface and flood.
An example of how irrigation works is to compare it to a lawn sprinkler. Imagine you are trying to keep your lawn lush and green during a hot, dry summer. You might use a sprinkler system connected to your garden hose to distribute water evenly over the grass. That, in essence, is what irrigation does.
In both cases, the basic principle is to move water from a source to the areas that need it. For your lawn, the water source is your home’s plumbing, which supplies the sprinkler. In agriculture, irrigation systems draw water from rivers, reservoirs or lakes. Instead of a single sprinkler head spraying water onto a small patch of grass, producers use extensive networks of pipes, canals, or specially designed irrigation systems to distribute water across vast fields of crops.
The sprinkler distributes water evenly to ensure that all parts of your lawn receive enough moisture to stay healthy. Similarly, irrigation allows producers to deliver water precisely where it’s needed. Both methods aim to conserve water while ensuring that plants get what they need to thrive.
Why Irrigation?
In the next 40 years, the world needs to produce the equivalent of all the food produced in the last 10,000 years. Saskatchewan plays a major role in global agriculture, but the weather determines what crops producers can grow and unpredictable precipitation makes it difficult to get consistent yields. Irrigation will play an important role for Saskatchewan to continue to grow and contribute more to global food production. With irrigation, Saskatchewan can help feed the province as well as the world in a sustainable, adaptable and reliable way as irrigation allows producers to expand into higher value crops and table crops because of the certainty of applying water.
Saskatchewan also is home to the largest untapped source of water in the country: Lake Diefenbaker. It has roughly three times the storage capacity of all southern Alberta combined, yet only a fraction of the irrigated acres. Alberta doesn’t have a large storage capacity yet created almost 1.6 million irrigated acres versus Saskatchewan’s 166,000 acres in the Lake Diefenbaker area.
Irrigation will have positive economic and environmental impacts. Economically, higher yields will lead to increased GDP for the province which can provide a variety of benefits for residents across various sectors and communities. Irrigation also offers environmental benefits. Properly managed irrigation systems can enhance soil health, reduce erosion and support biodiversity. By providing a reliable water source, irrigation can help maintain wetland habitats and support wildlife populations through reservoir development.
The province’s goal with irrigation is similar to planting a tree. Both will see their true benefits unfold over time. A tree starts as a small seedling, gradually growing to provide shade, oxygen and even fruit, enriching the environment and benefiting future generations. Similarly, irrigation infrastructure begins as an investment in water management, but over the years, it boosts agricultural productivity, strengthens food security and attracts economic opportunities.
In Saskatchewan, irrigation is not just a tool—it’s a commitment to securing a future where producers can thrive despite unpredictable weather, where communities can grow stronger through job creation and where the province can lead the way in tackling global challenges like food security. Irrigation not only helps grow crops, but helps grow the province and its people.
On April 15, 2025, the Government of Saskatchewan hosted two public information sessions in Conquest, SK with over 160 people in attendance.
The government team provided a project update to the public while gaining input on the 100,000-acre project. These sessions included local RMs, producers, landowners, residents from the project area, non-governmental organizations and private sector companies.
The public information sessions featured technical information sharing to gain feedback on certain topics. The format featured two sessions throughout the day that went through topics like the environmental assessment process, economic benefits, and distribution development costs.
Each table featured a note taker and facilitator to help capture the discussion and information from the public once each topic was presented. There were also several technical specialists available to answer any detailed engineering or design questions.
The public engagement and feedback from these sessions is valuable to ensure all perspectives are heard and considered in the project development process.
One participant remarked: “As a landowner who no longer lives in the area, I was glad to have the opportunity to learn more about the projects and to provide feedback. Great format, we had a very strong facilitator at our table.”
Click here to view the complete presentation that was presented at the public information sessions.
The Water Security Agency recently announced it would be proactively self-declaring the Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project (WIRP) for a provincial environmental assessment. Baseline data collection and the planning and design work will go into a proposal, which is then submitted to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.
Collecting feedback with rights holders and stakeholders through various engagements like the recent public information sessions will help incorporate the public’s input into the design of the project as part of the environmental assessment.
Announced in July 2024, the planning and engineering design work for WIRP is being worked on by Prairie Engineering Partners, a joint venture from Stantec and MPE engineering firms. Baseline work was commissioned as part of the environmental assessment field work for both aquatic and terrestrial components, including water quality and quantity.
WIRP has the potential to add 100,000 acres of irrigated land. A recent analysis of the 100,000-acre project was done by KPMG LLP. It shows an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $5.9 billion while generating over 30,000 jobs (person years of employment) and 9,500 jobs during the construction phase.
Today, the Water Security Agency announced it would be proactively self-declaring the Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project (WIRP) for a provincial environmental assessment.
“The Water Security Agency is committed to ensuring the environment is protected as this project develops through the provincial environmental assessment process,” Minister responsible for the Water Security Agency Daryl Harrison said. “We are committed to engaging with rights holders and stakeholders in an open and transparent way and this formalizes the work that we have started.”
Baseline data collection and the planning and design work will go into a proposal, which is then submitted to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. Collecting feedback with rights holders and stakeholders through various engagements will help incorporate their input into the design of the project as part of the environmental assessment.
“Irrigation Saskatchewan is pleased to see this project moving forward and the government’s commitment to doing it in the right way,” said David Bagshaw, Chair of Irrigation Saskatchewan. “Our members are producers and strong stewards of the land they farm, and we believe in responsible irrigation expansion while protecting the environment.”
Announced in July 2024, the planning and engineering design work for WIRP is being worked on by Prairie Engineering Partners, a joint venture from Stantec and MPE engineering firms. Baseline work was commissioned as part of the environmental assessment field work for both aquatic and terrestrial components, including water quality and quantity.
WIRP has the potential to add 100,000 acres of irrigated land. A recent analysis of the 100,000-acre project was done by KPMG LLP. It shows an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $5.9 billion while generating over 30,000 jobs (person years of employment) and 9,500 jobs during the construction phase.
For media inquiries, contact: Patrick Boyle Water Security Agency 306-631-6997 Patrick.Boyle@wsask.ca
