Sask. greenlights deal with Alberta, Manitoba to manage underground water reserves on Prairies

Saskatchewan's provincial government has greenlit expanding a key water deal to include cross-border groundwater reserves, aiming to ensure they are managed and shared sustainably amid growing threats posed by drought, pollution and climate change.

The proposed changes to the Master Agreement on Apportionment between Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and the federal government would empower the Prairie Provinces Water Board to assess, monitor and — if needed — take action to manage transboundary aquifers.

The Prairie Provinces Water Board, formed by the governments of the three Prairie provinces and the federal government in 1948, is responsible for the administration of the 1969 agreement, and provides a forum to resolve water issues between jurisdictions.

The changes to the agreement incorporate risk-management principles to the "collaborative" approach the provinces have taken to sharing surface water under the agreement since it was signed in 1969, according to the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.

"WSA believes this amendment builds upon the strong, collaborative relationships of the PPWB members to continue to ensure Saskatchewan's water resources are sustainable, adaptable, and reliable," said Sean Osmar, the Saskatchewan agency's communications manager, in a statement emailed to CBC last week.

The change comes on the heels of plans in both Alberta and Saskatchewan to ramp up irrigation, as persistent drought damages crop yields and challenges the ability of farmers and ranchers to put food on their own tables.

Last month, Premier Scott Moe said Saskatchewan has begun design work and consultations as it's set to begin construction on the first phase of the Lake Diefenbaker expansion project next year.

Lake Diefenbaker was created in 1967 by the provincial and federal governments to supply water for a range of purposes, including irrigation.

Orders in council show that Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture David Marit authorized the province's water agency to agree to the amendments to the interprovincial water agreement on March 28. 

The federal government has also agreed to the proposed expansion of the deal, according to an order in council.

The Saskatchewan Party government, like the governments of Alberta and Manitoba, supports including groundwater resources as part of the agreement, said a Thursday statement from Marit, who is also minister responsible for the water agency.

The amendment to the agreement is "a proactive approach taken by the board to include groundwater resources," Marit's statement said.

Aquifers are underground geologic formations made of layers of gravel, rocks and silt that can hold and store water that percolates down from rainfall and other sources on the surface. The water can then be accessed via a well, some of it already fit to drink.

These deposits vary in composition, thickness and depth but can span thousands of kilometres and cross one or more provincial boundaries, according to the proposed agreement.