Government Alberta’sAlberta’s IrrigationIrrigation AA StrategyStrategy forfor thethe FutureFuture
2016/17 Strategy Measures
Alberta's Irrigation Strategy for the Future
Alberta's Irrigation- a Strategy for the Future 20167 /1 Strategy Measures Report
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry's mission is to “provide the framework and services necessary for Alberta's agriculture and food sector to excel, to inspire public confidence in the quality and safety of food, and to lead the collaboration that enables resilient rural communities” (ARD 2014). Alberta's irrigation industry is a global leader in the efficient, productive, and sustainable use of water resources. The industry is committed to increasing its economic contribution in Alberta, while improving conservation, efficiency, and productivity of water use. The industry is also committed to promoting water supply options that will ensure long-term needs are met while supporting environmental stewardship and contributing to vibrant rural communities. Five key strategies reflect the department's blueprint for the future of the irrigation industry in Alberta. 1. Productivity – Increase the primary and value-added productivity of the water used by the irrigation industry. 2. Efficiency – Improve the efficiency of water conveyance and on-farm irrigation systems. 3. Conservation – Promote the effective use and management of water to ensure that only the water required for irrigation, and other uses supplied by irrigation infrastructure, is diverted from the rivers. 4. Water Supply – Assess management options for existing reservoirs, and the potential for new reservoirs to enhance water security to meet future needs in the South Saskatchewan Region. 5. Environmental Stewardship – Manage the effects of irrigation on surface and ground water quality, and promote beneficial management practices for irrigation and handling of crops to ensure they are safe for consumption. In an effort to manage and measure each of these strategies, an annual measurement of results identified in the following strategy targets is reported.
1 Strategy Targets
1. Irrigation Productivity
The Water for Life Strategy had a target to improve the 2005 overall efficiency and productivity of water use in Alberta by 30% by 2015. The irrigation sector has exceeded this target and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry continues to work with the sector to promote the growth of a greater diversity of crops that can be processed in Alberta, through a focus on crop research and demonstration, and economic development.
A productivity index target of 18 kg/m3 for the contracted commodities (potatoes and sugar beets) has been established for 2025. The index calculation is based on data received from commodity boards andestimated water deliveries. The trend line shown below indicates that the productivity index has doubled over the last 25 years. Continued improvement in irrigation water management and agronomic practices will contribute to achieving the 2025 target.
The economic value of development within the irrigated region of Alberta is significant. Based on the 2015“Economic Value of Irrigation in Alberta ” report, irrigation-related agriculture generated: - $1.7 billion to the Alberta Gross Domestic Product, - an additional $1.7 billion in agricultural processing, - approximately $1.0 billion in labour income, and - about 17,000 full-time jobs.
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2025 target 20 18 kg/m3
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3
15
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Productivity Index (kg/m
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Irrigation Water Use Productivity Index - Gross Diversion (Sugar Beet & Potatoes Only)
2 Alberta's Irrigation Strategy for the Future
2. Efficiency
The target for irrigation efficiency is to achieve a 7% increase in average on-farm irrigation efficiency from about 81% in 2012 to 85% by 2025. This could be accomplished through improved on-farm irrigation technologiesand continued replacement of less efficient irrigation systems with low-pressure drop-tube pivot systems.
Based on reported on-farm infrastructure and the assumedapplication efficiencies of 8 9 % for low p ressure pi vots, 73% for h igh p ressure p ivots, 70% for w heel l ines and 60% for gravity, the weighted- average efficiency in 201 6 was 82.7 %.
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84 2025 target 85% efficiency 82
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Application Efficiency (%) 74
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Irrigtion System 68 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 On-farm Irrigation System Efficiency
600
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Low Pressure Centre 400 Pivot Sprinkler Systems High Pressure Centre Pivot Sprinkler Systems 75.7% 300
Area (Thousands of Ha) 200 Side-Roll Sprinkler Systems 7.9%
Irrigated 100 8.7% Surface Irrigation Systems 7.8% 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Irrigation Method Summary within the 13 Irrigation Districts in Southern Alberta
3 3. Conservation
Ongoing rehabilitation of irrigation water conveyance infrastructure with newer technology has facilitated continued improvements in water conservation. Irrigation districtsare replac ing open channel canals with buried pipelines, reducing water conveyance losses and improving water delivery efficiencies.The Irrigation Strategy target for water conservation is to replace all technically feasible open channel canalsin the irrigation districts with pipelines by 2035. As a result, approximately 75% of the 7,900 km ofthe irrigation network should be in pipeline s and an additional 50 million cubic metres of water will be conserved annually.
C,losed pipelines eliminate seepage evaporation,and reduce return flow. Pipelines also contribute to energy savings by providing gravity pressure, often facilitating reduced pumping energy requirements. Finally, each kilometre of buried pipeline adds approximately 1.5 to 2 ha of land for crop production from previous severance due to land occupied by the canals and access roads.
Pipeline installation
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Pipelines Installed Within Irrigation Districts
4 Alberta's Irrigation Strategy for the Future
4. Water Supply
Irrigation Expansion – The Irrigation Strategy target for irrigation expansion is to have approximately 12% (70,000 hectares) expansion of the irrigation district assessed area by 2025. This increase from the 2012 assessed hectare should be achieved from the improvements in irrigation water-use efficiencies, including water conservation due to on-farm and conveyance improvements. Irrigationd istricts compile the number of hectares on their assessment roll s annuallyand report them in the Alberta Irrigation Information S ummary.
640,000
620,000 2025 target 625,000 hectares
600,000
580,000
Area (ha)
560,000
Irrigation 540,000
520,000
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Irrigation District Assessment Roll Acres
Water Storage – A comprehensive study to assess potential water storage sites to improve water supply security within the South Saskatchewan River Basin was completed in 2014.
Project Completed 2014
5 5 . Environmental Stewardship
Water Quality and Protection of Aquatic Environment – Strategies to effectively manage nitrogen and phosphorus associated with confined feeding operations will be developed and implemented in select Alberta watersheds by 2020. As a measure of success, annual reporting on the scientific assessment of beneficial management practises (BMPs) will be provided.
Nutrient Beneficial Management Practices Evaluation Project (2007–2012) The final technical reports and recommendations were completed and publically released. Partners included the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund, Alberta Environment and Parks, Alberta Conservation Association, Municipal District of Pincher Creek, County of Lacombe, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, universities of Lethbridge and Alberta, Rocky Mountain Forage Association, and producers in the study watersheds.
Beneficial management practices (BMPs ) were successfully implemented at 16 sites. The BMPs included manure nutrient management (nutrient management plans, manure injection), livestock management (off-stream watering, livestock exclusion, rotational grazing, relocation of facilities), and surface-water management (berming, re-directingr un-on, grass channels, irrigation management). The BMPs were found to be effective at improving the water quality leaving the farm.
Project Completed 2014
Alberta Phosphorus Watershed Project (2013–2019)
One of the main deliverables of the Alberta Phosphorus Watershed Project was to develop the Alberta Phosphorus Management Tool (APMT) –– an electronic tool that will help producers assess and manage phosphorus on their land. The tool identifies and prioritizes potential phosphorus loss risks at the field scale and suggests beneficial management practices (BMPs) to directly address those risks. The APMT has been completed and will be released online late in 2017.
6 Alberta's Irrigation Strategy for the Future
During the development of the tool, about 23% of the land base (16 producers) has been assessed in each of the two study watersheds: Acme Creek and Tindastoll Creek. Based on these assessments, 40 BMPs have been implemented in Acme Creek and 29 BMPs in Tindastoll Creek. Less than 13% of the riparian area has been implemented with BMPs in both watersheds, and less than 7% of the total watershed area has been implemented with BMPs. The BMPs included crop management, livestock management, yard or manure management, and erosion/flood control activities. Land assessments using the APMT and BMP implementation are ongoing, and will continue for another 2 years.
The cumulative effects of the BMPs on water quality has been assessed and will continue to be assessed for the next 2 years. To date, water quality results from Acme and Tindastoll creeks, when compared to nearby control watersheds (i.e., no BMP implementation), show no measureable cumulative BMP effect at the watershed outlets. This is not surprising considering the relatively short period of time BMPs have been implemented (i.e., 1 to 2 years) on a relatively small area of the watersheds.
Land assessed by APMT in ACME
X
X X
X=BMPs installed but land not assessed
Sampling locations Sampling locations Stream Stream Boundary Boundary Farmer ID Farmer ID A-BMP1 A-BMP5 T-BMP1 T-BMP6 A-BMP2 A-BMP6 T-BMP2 T-BMP7 A-BMP3 A-BMP7 T-BMP3 T-BMP8 A-BMP4 Not assessed T-BMP4 T-BMP9 T-BMP5
Land assessed (quarter sections) using the Alberta Phosphorus Management Tool in (left) Acme Creek Watershed and (right) Tindastoll Creek Watershed.
7 Groundwater Quality – An assessment of manure management effects on shallow groundwater quality and mitigation strategiesis to be completed by 2018.
Livestock Manure Impacts on Groundwater BATTLE EDMONTON RIVER Quality in Alberta (2008–2015) CFO - 3 PONOKA
WHELP CFO- 4 CREEK The objective of the groundwater research was to CFO- 5 LACOMBE RED improve our understanding of the effects of DEER manure storage and spreading on groundwater BLACKFALDS quality. The study included four dairies, two beef CALGARY feedlots, and four quarter section irrigated field sites. A broader aspect of the study also looked at LITTLE BOW RIVER MEDICINE HAT groundwater quality changes with time at sites in CFO - 2 Regional Transect CFO - 1 Battersea Drain area. Field work ended in 2015 (16 sites) LETHBRIDGE PICTURE BUTTE OLDMAN and the data are being analyzed for the final report. RIVER BATTERSEA Active feedlots appeared to present less risk to DRAIN groundwater contamination than areas used for Location of the groundwater study temporary or long-term solid manure storage. areas, including five confined feeding Results also suggest that shallow groundwater in operations (CFO), are in central and coarse-textured soils is more vulnerable to southern Alberta. contamination than groundwater in till and other fine grained deposits. The study has not found evidence of manure contamination at depths of more than 12 metres. The final technical report is scheduled to be completed in early 2018.
Water Quality and Food Safety – A comprehensive assessment of irrigation water quality within the major irrigation districts will be completed.
Water Quality in Alberta's Irrigation Districts
Tthe final report of the 2011-2015 study is expected to be completed in early 2018 and will include irrigation district specific water quality summaries and recommendations of target areas for improvement. Several irrigation districts have already been successful at receiving grants for implementing water quality improvement projects such as constructed wetlands.
With support from AIPA and the irrigation districts,w ater q uality monitoring continued at 78 sites in 2017. In addition to the basic suite of parameters, chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, pH and specific conductivity were added in 2017. Th e data w ere collected to support the development of a response plan in the event that invasive mussels are detected in Alberta's irrigation infrastructure. Monitoring for neonicotinoids was also added in 2017, in response to the proposed ban of imidacloprid by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
In general, irrigation water quality remained consistent with previous years, with the majority of sites rated as “excellent” for irrigated crop production according to the Environmental Quality Guidelines for Alberta Surface Waters (2014). Most irrigation districts have already elected to continue water quality sampling in 2018, and will consider ongoing sampling in subsequent years.
8 Alberta's Irrigation Strategy for the Future
Mitigating risk to market access for Alberta's irrigated agriculture through a Next-Generation approach to water quality (2016 to 2019)
This project was initiated in October of 2016 with support from Alberta Innovates and in partnership with Alberta's Irrigation Districts and Alberta Irrigation Project Association (AIPA). The overall goal of the project is to assess the applicability of Next-Generation microbial source tracking technologies to identify sources ofE. coli in Alberta's irrigation districts. This information will be used to proactively develop mitigation options that ensure that farmers have access to irrigation water of sufficient quality to comply with food safety standards for crops. This project is a full-scale version of a pilot study that was previously conducted in the Taber IDrrigation istrict with the support of Growing Forward 2, which can be found on-line.
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ARROWWOOD ROSEMARY DUCHESS B PATRICIA O HWOOD RIV R WR E RIV HIG IV E R E-S2 HIGH RIVER FRANK TILLEY LAKE MILO BROOKS RESERVOIR
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McGREGOR RESERVOIR BADGER LAKE RIVER NEWELL SOUTH RESERVOIR TILLEY M VULCAN OSQUIT LOMOND NANTON OCR RAINIER TWIN ROLLING VALLEY HILLS RES Saskatchewan RESERVOIR SCANDIA
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EB AN R O EW IV HAYS TCH ER REDCLIFF WR BR-S3 VAUXHALL A MEDICINE K S SCOPE A HAT IV S W CLARESHOLM RESERVOIR H E T ROS IL S CR. R U LOW C KEHO O RES LN-S5 BR-R3 S SME-P1 R TURIN IRVINE E R E E SAUDER K IV IRON SPRINGS R RES NOBLEFORD GRANUM PICTURE SEVEN PERSONS CR. BUTTE OL LN-R2DMAN SEVEN BOW ROSS CR. PERSONS SHAUGHNESSY ISLAND GROS VENTRE CR. GRASSY LAKE BURDETT MONARCH MURRAY DIAMOND CITY BARNWELL TABER LAKE RES COALDALE FORT COALHURST MACLEOD LETHBRIDGE HORSEFLY YELLOW LAKE RES LAKE OLDMAN RESERVOIR FORTY MILE RES CHIN ELKWATER OLDMAN RIVER LAKE RES FORTY MILE COULEE
R E IV PINCHER STIRLING CREEK WELLING RY R RAYMOND A FOREMOST .M T S MAGRATH PAKOWKI LAKE WATERTON RESERVOIR GLENWOOD OULEE OM C MANYBERRIES MILK RIVER ETZIK RIDGE RES ST. MARY R HILLSPRING E RESERVOIR WARNER IV VERDIGRIS R R LAKE N E IV
RTO YR CARDSTON E L L E B WAT LEAVITT AETNA MILK WATERTON ER R RIVER KRIV LAKES MOUNTAIN VIEW E MIL IV
RY R WATERTON A .M T S COUTTS Montana Map of Alberta’s irrigation districts depicting the nine water sampling sites where microbial source tracking is being conducted.
Copies of reports for many of the projects in this document can be found on the web. http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca – enter project title in the search option. Alberta Irrigation Information – 2016 Water Storage Opportunities in the South Saskatchewan River Basin in Alberta Nutrient Beneficial Management Practices Evaluation Project Alberta Phosphorus Watershed Project Livestock Manure Impacts on Groundwater Quality in Alberta Water Quality in Alberta's Irrigation Districts Economic Value of Irrigation in Alberta Microbial Source Tracking of Alberta’s Irrigation Water
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