The Future
The next 50 years for the Western Irrigation District will differ greatly from the last 50 years. The WID will evolve from being a pure agricultural service provider to a multi faceted utility. This is as an act of necessity in response to the new societal pressures of Southern Alberta.
The Bow River was closed to new water license applications in 2007 and no new water will be allocated in the foreseeable future. As a senior license holder on the Bow River the task will fall to the District to share supply with new customer demand.
Secondly the economic growth in Alberta has led to rapid urban expansion. With the urban growth centered on the west side of this irrigation district, we will naturally be involved in providing solutions to new water demands.
Thirdly we will be challenged to make the water go further. The WID infrastructure still remains an early 20th century design, with built in inefficiencies. Canal rehabilitation will provide water savings which can feed urban growth for the next 30 years.
The Water for Life provincial strategy required irrigation to conserve 30% of its water use and/or increase its productivity by 30%. With good planning, the WID will attempt to achieve a substantial portion of both targets in the next 15 years. In doing so, we will evolve from an agricultural service provider to a multi-tasking water utility. This will be a great advantage to the irrigation farmers, who now will not have to shoulder the burden alone for funding the operation of this canal system. This will become a true agriculture/urban partnership, ready for another 50 years of service.
