Irrigation program a must says SACPA guest

In October of 2021, the government of Alberta and the Canada Infrastructure Bank announced $815 million in investments for eight irrigation districts to increase water capacity and modernize irrigation infrastructure. This program is called the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program. Just a little later, in November of the same year, the value of the program shot up to $933 million with the announcement of an additional two irrigation districts and other projects. Richard Phillips, the chair of Irrigating Alberta Inc, was a guest speaker on SACPA on Thursday morning and he says the program is vital for the future of irrigation.

“Irrigation is important. It’s important on a global, regional and a local scale. This new program will enable districts to modernize their infrastructure more quickly than we could otherwise. That modernization will improve water security for whatever end use that water security is put to.”

Phillips says Alberta has 13 irrigation districts and 1.5 million acres are irrigated.