Quill Lakes flooding continues to have severe financial impacts

Flooding has taken approximately 92,000 acres of formerly productive farmland out of production. At 2018 market prices that land would be worth over $91 million.

It’s estimated roughly $17 million in realized net farm income has been lost.

Chair of the Quill Lakes Watershed Ian McNichol farms southwest of Quill Lakes and west of the Ducks Unlimited Kutawagan Complex.

He said the group has been working toward a solution to mitigate the effects of flooding. He said while they continue to work toward meeting with government officials to discuss the issue, he had some specific concerns he wants addressed.

“I would like to see provincial and federal governments come up with some money for the farmers in the Quill Lakes Basin that have lost land to the lake,” McNichol said. “I’d like to see restoration of the natural channel of this lake so that we can have a control on it. And we’re not seeing a lot of help from the government as of right now.”

It’s been a frustrating process according to McNichol.

“We’ve been in talks with them but it’s always talk,” McNichol said. “I’d like to see some kind of commitment from both provincial and federal governments.”

Executive Director of the Quill Lakes Watershed, Rita Macinowski said they actually had meetings scheduled over the summer and those were cancelled by the minister’s office.

“Since the recent cabinet shuffle, our association has continually requested meetings to meet with Mr. Duncan and Mr. Ottenbreit but a meeting has yet to be arranged,” Marcinowski said.

We’d like to develop a project to reduce water levels within the Quill Lakes and surrounding area,” Marcinowski said. “The cost would exceed $100,000.”

An environmental impact study will also be required which has a price tag of over $1 million.

Dr. Warren with the U of R, said when he first got involved, he was most surprised by how many acres were under water. He pointed to the figure of 91,492 acres lost.

“That would be 50 farms flooded,” Warren said. “There is probably way over 100 producers that have been affected because only some have lost all of their land, but many farmers have lost portions of their land.”

He said to come up with a solution that would please everyone is going to take some time.

“Back in the day before we even started farming here, water would run from the Quill Lakes watershed to Last Mountain Lake and people in that watershed are concerned about the salinity in the Quill Lakes if that would happen,” Warren said.

Water Security Agency studies show the effects shouldn’t be a problem, Warren said.

“The last study I looked at where they were envisioning doing that it was around $80 million,” Warren said.

Warren said he can’t help but wonder how long it would take the land to bounce back after being flooded by salty water.

“It’s not a matter of draining the land and then everything’s better right away,” Warren said.

Warren said senior government needs to take responsibility for this “land drainage anarchy for the last 50 years.”

Although Warren admits most of the problem is due to excess precipitation, it is not quite all that simple.

“There used to be sloughs that held some of the water that is in the lakes now and they are gone now, and that benefits the people who have the extra land to farm,” Warren said. “It’s not helping the ones who are at where the creek goes into the lake at the bottom of the watershed. Those people are hurt.”

Warren also believes there should be some sort of compensation for those who have suffered these significant losses.

With files from Alice McFarlane

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser

by Angie Rolheiser

Quill Lakes flooding continues to have severe financial impacts

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