Alberta: History of Irrigation Districts
Aetna Irrigation District (A.I.D.)
The Aetna Irrigation District was organized in 1945. It comprises approximately 1,000 hectares of
irrigable lands, situated in Townships 2 and 3, Range 25, West of the Fourth Meridian, lying east of
Lee Creek. The source of water for this district is the Belly River, through the same main canal which
supplies the Mountain View and Leavitt Irrigation Districts. The canal in turn crosses Lee Creek in a
siphon. The canal capacity at the diversion point is 4.3 cubic metres per second, reducing to 1.4 cubic
metres per second at the siphon.
Actual irrigation did not begin until 1959 and, since 1964, has remained practically constant at 1,000
hectares annually. Due to the rough topography of the district lands, water is applied mainly by wild
flooding, to irrigate alfalfa and pasture grasses.