Celebrating 125 years of irrigation in Southern Alberta

Sunny South News Photo by Kristine Jean. 125 ANNIVERSARY: St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) marked 125 years of irrigation in southern Alberta with a celebration on August 6 at the Readymade Community Hall. The event welcomed area farmers, irrigators and partners, and featured a barbecue, family activities, games and several vendor booths including the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC). Rebecca Fast, right, is seen here speaking with Kallie Val-Zehan Desruisseaux, left and Rachel Morris, both with the OWC during the event.

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) welcomed area farmers, irrigators and partners for a milestone celebration, marking 125 years of irrigation in southern Alberta. 

 The event, held at the Readymade Community Hall August 6, featured a barbecue, family activities, games and several vendor booths including the Oldman Watershed Council and Tank 77 Museum from Taber, that had a pop-up museum display.  

SMRID General Manager, David Westwood, said the event was a way to get together with area irrigators, farmers and local partners, who have worked together with SMRID over the years, to celebrate this remarkable milestone.  

“We had a great turnout today. It was really nice to see a lot of our irrigators and community partners,” said Westwood. “It’s just a nice day to be able to come out and celebrate together.”   

Today, the SMRID irrigation infrastructure delivers water from south of Lethbridge to Medicine Hat, with the original irrigation project for what is now the SMRID, created in the late 1800’s, explained Westwood, adding that water came to Lethbridge in 1900, at which time they were issued a water license as a district – the oldest water license in the province to date. 

“We know how important irrigation is to the fabric and particularly the economy in southern Alberta and we wanted to have a chance to thank our irrigators who do such a good job of water stewardship and make sure that they understand the value of this great resource we have and that we use it wisely,” said Westwood, pointing out irrigation success is seen today in the thriving communities and crops across the region. 

Area farmers and irrigators have played an important role for SMRID over the years – both as customers and partners, ensuring the district’s success. 

“Our area farmers and our irrigators have put a lot of investment into technological advances,” said Westwood, noting the impact on irrigation. “That allows us to conserve a lot of water.” 

Several members of Coaldale council, including Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn, attended the SMRID celebration and pointed out the important role SMRID has had in Southern Alberta’s agricultural and economic success over the past 125 years.    

“Whether it’s supporting farming operations, local industry, or providing recreational opportunities through their reservoir system, SMRID has proven its value as a vital pillar in the growth of Southern Alberta,” said Van Rijn. “As we recognize SMRID’s 125th anniversary, we celebrate not just a milestone, but a legacy of service, innovation, and commitment to the communities of Southern Alberta.”

Van Rijn also noted the strong partnership between the town and the SMRID and other municipalities, in working together on area projects. 

“SMRID has been a steadfast partner in the Malloy Drain Project, working alongside the Town of Coaldale and Lethbridge County to find long-term solutions to flooding and stormwater challenges,” he said. “Their collaboration has been instrumental in balancing urban growth with agricultural sustainability throughout the region.” 

Westwood spoke about some of the challenges and changes the SMRID and other irrigation districts in the province that have benefited from – including a strong partnership with the province of Alberta and projects like the Chin Reservoir expansion. He noted the reservoir expansion will help with future, long-term planning. 

“(The government has) understood the value of irrigation as it relates to agriculture and they’ve been great partners in providing access to funding for us to continue to work on infrastructure to make sure we’re always trying to upgrade and modernize our systems,” said Westwood, noting a plan with the provincial government and the Canada Infrastructure Bank to accelerate advancements in infrastructure, which resulted in 29 pipeline projects in an eight-year period (2020-2028) for the SMRID. 

“Most recently, through the challenges of the hot summer of 2023 going into water shortages in the spring of 2024, we’re very thankful that the province is agreeing with us that storage is really the answer for southern Alberta,” he said,  pointing to other reservoir projects in the province. “All these projects are really good to help us not just in short-term handle drought, but also help with flood mitigation – when we get too much rain, there’s a place for it to go and it doesn’t turn into overland flooding,” explained Westwood. “I think it’ll be a fantastic risk mitigation tool for us, as climate change potentially changes how we’re going to see precipitation in the future.”