In 1982, there were no large-scale irrigation projects in the province and although there was water available for irrigation development in some areas, its accessibility to irrigable areas was very limited. The source of water for irrigation is largely from rivers, though some comes from wells where ample groundwater exists.
For the most part, irrigation has been dependent on private funding. However, because land prices have increased dramatically in recent years, farmers have begun to invest in irrigation to increase production while maintaining the same land base. During the past decade, irrigation development has been virtually all by sprinkler systems. The hand-move and solid-set types are most commonly used on small plots of vegetables and fruits. The centre-pivot systems, which permit the irrigation of terrain impractical for irrigation under other methods, have greatly facilitated the expansion of irrigation of large areas of field crops.
The Shellmouth Dam, located on the
Assiniboine River near the village
of Shellmouth, was completed by PFRA
in 1970. This reservoir, known as Lake
of the Prairies, has a storage capacity
of 477,400 cubic decametres. The
Rivers Dam on the Minnedosa River,
a tributary of the Assiniboine,
was also constructed by PFRA in
1960 and has a storage capacity of
30,200 cubic decametres. These two
reservoirs will provide a firm water
supply for downstream irrigation
development.
On average, the amount of land irrigated
in the province is 60 hectares per irrigating
farmer. The larger irrigators grow mainly hay
and grains, whereas the smaller ones grow
fruits, vegetables, potatoes and other
special crops. In 1979, government
estimates indicated the total irrigated
area in the province was 5,990 hectares,
with an additional 3,200 hectares developed
for irrigation in 1980.