Duncairn Dam not over over yet, difficult for area residents
I am writing this letter in response to your front-page article regarding the irrigation expansion project at Duncarin Dam. Please consider printing it in the opinion section of your paper. The Water Security Agency (WSA) that met with city council on August 21,2023, stated many misleading facts that night. Since then I have attended several meetings and their facts and figures change every time.
They stated that this irrigation project will help drive economic development. Several companies have considered starting up business here, but state that to make it pay for them they need to have 18 inches of water not 6 or 12 inches in order to produce enough commodity.
The WSA also stated that 4000 acres feet will not affect downstream users. As of September 14, 2023 there is one pivot pulling water from the dam 24/7. Our water level is below 806.73. What is going to happen when 57 pivots are placed within that 7-mile radius of the dam? Also is the drawing of this water going to be allowed to happen from May to August? Is one pivot going to be allowed to one person each or to one producer…example one hutterite colony?
WSA is stating that stringent monitoring of water level will happen, and once 803.72 meters is reached, the pivots will be shut off. My question is will each pivot have a computer driven monitor that will shut the pivot down once it reaches it maximum. Are these pivots monitored daily? Weekly? Monthly? Or are you depending on each applicant to call you with the correct numbers. If the producer does not follow the guidelines, WSA stated that they have no policy put in place to reprimand them. WSA stated each producer will be allocated 6 inches of water. Anyone who irrigates knows that 6 inches of water is not going to help any crop. Maybe 1 foot will be taken without WSA even knowing.
If Duncarin Reservoir is drawn down to the irrigation drawdown limit of 803.72m, a 10.14-foot drop from today’s water level, the bathymetry map shows the water levels at Ferguson Bay, Carefree Park, Sunridge Resort, and Rock Ridge Resorts dry up as they are only 6.56 feet. WSA is stating that water levels will only drop 1 foot!
Duncarin Dam is also known as Duncarin Reservoir Migratory and Bird Sanctuary. At Rock Ridge, at the west end of the dam, there is a main spawning area for the fish. This area will dry up completely because there is only 3 feet of water there as of Saturday September 16,2023. As well, the spawning area at Fergerson Bay will be destroyed because on that same day the water was only 3 feet deep. These two important wetland areas are the shallowest, so will be the first to be destroyed!
This is without substantial irrigation happening. The pelicans and the grey herons that nest there will no longer come back.
The various species of ducks and geese will no longer nest in this Bird Sanctuary. The shoreline will be destroyed!
The provincial auditors report made several recommendations to WSA. One of them being that an envorimental study must be done. That study along with four other recommendations have not been followed up on.
In 1981 the federal government created a memorandum stating that no water was allowed to be taken out of Duncarin dam. That is why some people put their life savings into building million-dollar homes on the dam. If the water levels decrease, so will the value of our properties.
Not only are we in a drought situation, so is Alberta. They are holding back water from Saskatchewan, leaving us with less water in a drought situation.
We as concerned stakeholders of Duncairn Dam/reid Lake are against this irrigation project. The questions that need to be asked are “Why so big, so fast?” Allow five pivots, for five years! Get some historical data to see if this many affects the wildlife and fish. See if this many affect the downstream users. If not, add more. If it does make some adjustments.
The second and probably most important question is “How are these pivots going to be monitored? What will happen when the user takes more water than their allocated amount?
Please do more research on this project. Please put policies in place to reprimand the user that does not follow protocol, before you allow any irrigation off of Duncarin Dam.
Respectfully submitted
Reid Lake Stakeholders