Southern Alberta irrigation districts say water-sharing agreements likely not needed this year

Government water-sharing negotiations and agreements likely won't be needed this year, as we head into spring with reservoir levels back up to average.

With spring quickly approaching, irrigation districts in southern Alberta say the current conditions are “much better” than this time one year ago.

“Water storage levels are significantly better—almost three times as much as they were this time last year,” said David Westwood, general manager of the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID).

He said that’s easing the anxiety for farmers in the region when it comes to water this growing season.

According to the province, the St. Mary Reservoir is currently 55 per cent full, compared to only 14 per cent this time last year.

The Oldman Reservoir is at 55 per cent, the same as 2024, while the Waterton Reservoir currently has a storage level of 35 per cent.

“We’re actually fairly optimistic that we’re going to have a much more successful irrigation season for 2025 compared to 2024,” said Westwood.

With water levels back to near-normal levels, irrigation districts say water-sharing agreements signed last year likely won’t be needed this season.

“We’ve been in discussion as the major water users and talking with the folks at Alberta Environment and we don’t anticipate likely needing them this year,” said Richard Phillips, general manager of the Bow River Irrigation District (BRID).

The historic agreements were signed by southern Alberta municipalities and irrigation districts to voluntarily reduce water use.

The agreement went into effect on May 9, 2024, until Oct. 10, 2024.

“Our reservoirs are in good shape, soil moisture is in good shape, so even if snow continues to be lighter than normal, it’s really not a major concern for our district,” said Phillips.

“We should be in good shape.”

The City of Lethbridge signed the agreement, with the city seeing a 16 per cent reduction in water use last year.

The City of Lethbridge continues to target a 20 per cent water reduction by 2030.

While no restrictions were put in place last year, the city says residents should still be mindful of water usage this spring.

“Right now, the outlook is OK. It’s not as bleak as it was last year, which is good, but we still need to move forward with water conservation efforts,” said Mark Svenson, environment manager with the City of Lethbridge.

The SMRID says no water allocation limit has been set for this year yet.

Last year, the district imposed an eight-inch water allocation—nearly 50 per cent less than the normal amount.

Westwood says this year’s number is still unclear, with a chance that more precipitation could be in the forecast before the irrigation season.

“Some more wet snow in the mountains and some more accumulation in the mountains between now and the end of April and mid-May would be ideal because that snow then leads to stored reserves, which will eventually melt as we get into summer,” said Westwood.

The SMRID plans to announce its water allocation limit in early April.