Water allotment for SMRID members will remain at 12 inches through summer

Southern Alberta Newspapers

The allocation for St. Mary River Irrigation District members is expected to remain at 12 inches for the summer, the board of the major southern Alberta district announced May 29.

That figure, equating to one acre-foot, was announced at the group’s annual general meeting in early April. That is 50 per cent higher than the 8-inch allotment estimate in early 2024 when reservoirs were still nearing historic lows, but below typical allotment of 14 inches, last provided in 2023.

The difference across the entire reservoir network from 12 months earlier is about 147,000 acre-feet more water in storage.

“The St. Mary Headworks Reservoirs … have been gaining in storage with the gradual increase in runoff and are sitting at 73 per cent of (full supply limit at) 351,000 acre-feet of storage,” reads to the notice. “SMRID reservoirs have made minor gains in storage since our April update and contain 276,000 acre-feet of storage, or 87 per cent of our (FSL).”

The next update is scheduled for June 27.