As water usage by Prairie residents increased, the demand for consistency of supply became more urgent. This called for the building of larger and more efficient projects on primary tributaries to fulfill the water requirements of inhabitants of several municipalities.
Large water development projects originated with the policy initiated by the Dominion Minister of Agriculture, J. G. Gardiner. This policy was incorporated in the report of the St. Mary and Milk Rivers Water development Committee, as applicable to the St. Mary project in Alberta. The policy provides for the construction of the "main reservoirs" on rivers and streams by the Dominion Government, the cost of which is to be regarded as a non-recoverable expenditure. It has become a generally accepted principle that the total costs of these large irrigation projects should not be charged to the lands immediately benefitted
The policy governing the jurisdiction, ownership and operation of large projects is similar to that for community projects. However, their larger cost, usually between $50,000 and $200,000, calls for greater provincial participation to ensure adequate administrative control over the operation.
There are more than 160 of these large projects in the three Prairie provinces. Construction of numerous water storage works and irrigation projects were initiated by both the federal and provincial governments. The following is a list of key projects which were undertaken on a cost-sharing agreement between the federal government and the provincial government concerned. For more information about large irrigation projects, such as the St Mary Irrigation Project, Bow River Irrigation Project and South Saskatchewan River Project, visit the irrigation projects page.
The federal government, through PFRA, has played a leading role in the development and
construction
of over 850 dams on the Prairies. Most of these structures were transferred after one or two years
of
operation to irrigation districts, rural municipalities, communities and private individuals. PFRA
presently
maintains and operates a network of 34 earth dams, 12 major diversion structures, and the water
distribution infrastructure for 6 gravity irrigation projects in southern Saskatchewan.
PFRA's larger storage reservoirs serve primarily as a water supply for irrigation of hay land owned by individuals and the federal and provincial governments. The reservoirs not only provide for irrigation and other agricultural uses but are a valuable source of water for domestic consumption for rural and municipal use. These storage structures also provide some degree of flood control , recreational opportunities and provide wildlife habitat. Reservoirs on international streams provide the control necessary for apportionment of stream flow between Canada and the United States as regulated by the boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.
| Major Works Built by PFRA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dam | Year Completed | Height(m) | Storage Capacity(dam3) | Purpose |
| Alberta | ||||
| St. Mary | 1951 | 61.7 | 396,000 | Irrigation |
| Travers | 1954 | 44.5 | 317,000 | Irrigation |
| Waterton | 1965 | 56.4 | 173,000 | Irrigation |
| Jensen | 1948 | 40.8 | 22,000 | Irrigation |
| Berry Creek | 1948 | 16.8 | 18,500 | Irrigation/Stockwatering |
| Ridge N. | 1955 | 25.3 | 128,600 | Irrigation |
| Chin | 1954 | 15.2 | 206,000 | Irrigation |
| Lake McGregor S. | 1972 | 11.3 | 382,000 | Irrigation |
| Scope #1 | 1951 | 14.6 | 19,200 | Irrigation |
| Chain Lakes N. | 1966 | 14.3 | 16,400 | Irrigation |
| Saskatchewan | ||||
| Gardiner Dam | 1967 | 64.0 | 9,363,000 | Multi-purpose |
| Qu'Appelle Dam | 1967 | 27.4 | 6,900,000 | Multi-purpose |
| Duncairn | 1941 | 19.2 | 103,000 | Multi-purpose |
| Moosomin | 1953 | 13.7 | 11,300 | Multi-purpose |
| Val Marie | 1936 | 6.6 | 11,500 | Irrigation |
| Albert Douglas (Weyburn) | 1983 | 12.0 | 16,000 | Community Supply |
| Theodore | 1964 | 14.6 | 14,800 | Multi-purpose |
| Cypress Lake | 1939 | 7.6 | 128,600 | Multi-purpose |
| Buffalo Pound | 1939 | 4.7 | 91,300 | Multi-purpose |
| Crescent Creek | 1979 | 11.1 | 4,600 | Community Supply |
| La Fleche | 1957-1976 | 18.3 | 37,000 | Multi-purpose |
| Junction | 1939-1977 | 13.0 | 12,900 | Irrigation |
| Echo Lake | 1942 | 4.0 | 122,700 | Flow Regulation |
| Manitoba | ||||
| Morden | 1953-1976 | 22.5 | 3,800 | Community Supply |
| Rivers | 1960 | 21.9 | 30,000 | Multi-Purpose |
| Shellmouth | 1969 | 22.9 | 480,000 | Flood Control |
| Vermilion | 1979 | 17.7 | 3,200 | Community Supply |
| Stephenfield | 1963 | 14.3 | 4,400 | Multi-purpose |
| Neepawa | 1960 | 11.3 | 4,700 | Community Supply |
| Pleasant Valley | 1971 | 5.5 | 15,000 | Rural/Community Supply |