General
The St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) is Canada's largest irrigation district delivering water through 2060 km (1280 miles) of canals and pipelines to approximately 150,500 hectares (372,000 acres) of land south of the Oldman and South Saskatchewan Rivers between Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Construction of an irrigation canal system was conceived in the late 1800's to entice settlement of the area. Since 1900, construction and administration of the district has been undertaken by private companies and government agencies. Since 1968, SMRID has been administered by a Board of Directors elected by the irrigation water users operating under the Irrigation Districts Act.
A series of on-stream storage reservoirs owned and operated by Alberta Environment in the mountains of southwestern Alberta store water for controlled release to the district during the hot, dry summer months. The SMRID has five major off-stream storage reservoirs throughout the system with a total storage capacity of 300,000 acre feet.
Specialty crop production comprises 20% of total crop production in the area. Three distinct soil and climatic areas exist within the district with each suited to produce different specialty crops;
- The Lethbridge/Coaldale area is a major producer of sugar beets and potatoes.
- The Bow Island area is well known for bean, corn and sunflower production.
- The Medicine Hat area produces alfalfa, canola and flax.
The St Mary River Irrigation District is also responsible for the delivery of water for numerous towns, villages and rural residences as well as industrial water supply for commercial operations within the district.
The major conveyance system within the district is the St Mary River Irrigation District Main Canal. It is 283 km (176 miles) in length and has the capacity to carry 91 cubic meters per second (3200 cubic feet per second) at the start of the system. Capacity in the Main Canal decreases along the system as deliveries are made to the Raymond and Taber Irrigation Districts and various secondary canals and storage reservoirs. In its final stages, near Medicine Hat, the capacity is down to 10 cms (360 cfs). Originally constructed in 1954, the Main Canal underwent major reconstruction from 1982 - 1991. The majority of the reconstruction funding was provided by Alberta Environment.
Main Canal structures have been automated and can be accessed remotely for more effective monitoring and control of water levels. Seepage control, such as tile drainage, plastic lining or plastic cut-off curtains , have been provided in problem areas to conserve water and protect surrounding farm lands.
The St. Mary River Irrigation District has also partnered with the Raymond Irrigation District and the Taber Irrigation District to form Irrican Power which has constructed three hydro-electric plants to provided southern Alberta with "Green Power".
Although the primary purpose of the St. Mary River Irrigation District is to supply water for irrigation; equally important is the supply of domestic drinking water to most farms, towns and villages within the area.Many of the fine recreational facilities in Southern Alberta can also be attributed to irrigation development. Parks on most reservoirs provide swimming, boating, fishing, water skiing, wind surfing, picnic and camping facilities. The benefit to fish and wildlife populations is also significant due to the creation of wetlands for migratory birds, fish habitat and shelter belts for wildlife.
SMRID also supports upland nesting habitat programs with the Lethbridge Fish and Wildlife Association around:
Northeast Reservoir
Eight Mile Lake
St. Mary River Irrigation District partners with Ducks Unlimited supporting waterfowl habitat around the following areas:
Murray Reservoir * Raymond Reservoir
Seven Persons Reservoir * Upper Mud Lake
Verdigris Slough * Verdigris Reservoir * Wind Mill Lake
Water is also provided to the following communities
Bow Island * Burdett * Coaldale
Foremost * Grassy Lake
Lethbridge (Henderson Lake, Fairmount and Uplands)
Medicine Hat (Echodale and Southridge)
Seven Persons * Taber * Warner * Wrentham
Recreational areas that benefit from irrigation include:
Henderson Park, Lake and Golf Course (City of Lethbridge)
Southridge (City of Medicine Hat) * Echodale (City of Medicine Hat)
Stafford Park * Chin Lake Park
Forty Mile Park * Golden Sheaf Park
Bow Island Golf Course * Paradise Valley Golf Course
Connaught Golf Course * Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course
Desert Blume Golf Course * Land O' Lakes Golf Course
Indian Hills Golf Course * Evergreen Golf Course
Quick Facts
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St Mary River Irrigation District operates within five separate counties:
County of Lethbridge, County of Warner, County of Taber, County of Forty Mile, and the County of Cypress -
Reservoirs and lakes within the district include:
Raymond, Eight Mile, Northeast, Chin, Stafford, Grassy Lake (Sherburne), Yellow, Forty Mile, Sauder, Klaudt, Murray, and Seven Persons -
There are over 1,800 water users within the district
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Irrigating approximately 372,000 acres, or around 600 square miles, we are Canada's largest irrigation district providing roughly 20% of Canada's irrigated area.
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There are approximately 2,060 km (1,280 miles) of canals and pipeline within the district.
A View to the Future
With water being a limited renewable resource in Southern Alberta, the emphasis of the St. Mary River Irrigation District is on the management and conservation of water resources. The district's ongoing efforts are towards more efficient methods of conveyance, storage and application of water to meet the ever growing demand for agricultural. domestic, commercial and recreational use.
