When Aaron Gray looked out at his Langenburg, Sask., farm in 2014, all he saw was water.
A July storm had dumped close to 20 centimetres of rain, washing out the roads and flooding his yard. With land already prone to pooling, Gray was suddenly facing a major infrastructure headache.
But after speaking with Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency (WSA), he discovered how a consolidation drainage and irrigation project could help him turn that excess water into an on-farm asset.
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“Consolidation” refers to the practice of draining multiple small, sometimes temporary, wetlands into a single, larger storage site. In some cases, that reservoir simply improves drainage by giving excess water somewhere to go. In others, it can be used as a source for irrigation.
The result is better control of excess moisture, reduced risk of spring flooding and, where applicable, a new source of water that can be reused later in the growing season through opportunistic irrigation.
As extreme weather becomes more frequent, farmers are looking for practical, affordable ways to manage water. So it’s not surprising that at the 2025 Ag in Motion farm show in Langham, Sask., Naomi Paley, manager of drainage extension at the Water Security Agency (WSA), said she’s seeing a growing interest in these types of projects across the province.
Problems with potholes
Paley pointed out that a good portion of Saskatchewan’s agricultural land is in what is known as the prairie pothole region, characterized by numerous small depressions that collect water in the spring.
The region stretches across parts of western Manitoba, Saskatchewan, eastern Alberta, and into the northern Great Plains of the United States. It’s dotted with thousands of small, shallow wetlands formed during the last ice age.
While these potholes provide critical habitat for waterfowl, they can be a headache for farmers, creating low-lying areas prone to pooling. Fields can flood in spring and dry too quickly in summer, making crop production and grazing unpredictable.
That’s why consolidation projects tend to be a good fit in these areas. With the right design, farmers can adapt the natural features of the land to work to their advantage.
A growing part of WSA’s mandate
The Water Security Agency oversees drainage approvals in Saskatchewan, including those involving consolidation. While most applications are still for traditional drainage, consolidation is on the rise.
“We’re definitely starting to see more interest in it,” Paley says. Many farmers are drawn to the flexibility of keeping water on their land, which can make the approval process easier and less reliant on neighbour permissions, she says.
Consolidation is one way to adapt to water extremes and build in some risk management on the farm, Paley says.
“Agriculture is 100 per cent dependent on Mother Nature,” she says. “We have great soil, but without water, we’re nothing.”
Gray’s project—sparked by those 2014 floods—is fairly typical of the consolidation work the WSA supports, Paley says.
Gray’s was one of three consolidation demonstration projects now featured on the agency’s website.
The Gust family, near Davidson, Sask., began working with WSA to drain over 40 quarters of land into a single reservoir that feeds an irrigation pivot.
Jeff Odgers, near Spy Hill, started irrigating in 2017, using a 50-acre pond to support crops and his cattle herd, with WSA assisting with mapping, planning, and approvals.
For Gray, consolidation was about more than drainage. It was about efficiency, sustainability and feed security.
Gray farms near Langenburg, but his family also owns a 5,000-acre grain farm near Eyebrow, Sask. where he grew up with irrigation. The Langenburg farm has about 700 acres of cropland, 150 to 200 cow-calf pairs, and a rotation of cover crops and forages.
The heavy rains of 2014 sparked the idea, and a chance conversation with WSA staff in 2020 cemented it.
“They were looking to do a pilot project to mitigate downstream flooding,” Gray says.
He already knew the value of irrigation from his family farm, so incorporating that into his drainage project made sense. “It was going to work well as a consolidation drainage and irrigation project.”
The project now irrigates about 300 acres, and they’re growing four to five tons more per acre for silage than they do on their dryland acreage.
That includes hay: he gets two very good cuts, and the third either provides a decent final harvest or regrowth for fall grazing.
“And it’s all connected to my main yards,” Gray says. “So, I don’t have to haul the feed very far.”
The system isn’t just about growing more feed. For Gray, it’s part of a broader strategy to increase efficiency and reduce vulnerability to climate extremes. He’s aiming for better feed quality, reduced fertilizer costs, and more dependable moisture for his cattle and cover crops. To that end, he’s designed the system to recycle water efficiently.
“If we get three or four inches of rain, everything drains back to the reservoir,” he says.
His target is to keep reservoirs at 50 per cent or less. That leaves room to capture spring melt and summer storms.
“The goal is to have zero discharge off this farm.”
Costs and funding
While irrigation and drainage infrastructure can be expensive, Gray’s project benefited from its location.
“I was close to water,” he says. “So, I didn’t need a lot of pipe.”
Still, total costs came in around $1,000 per acre, reflecting higher material prices during the pandemic.
What made the difference was funding. Gray received a grant through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), now the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP) program. Combined with his long-term goals, this support gave him the confidence to move ahead with the project.
While the project has streamlined his operation and improved yields, it has yet to pay for itself financially.
“After maybe 15 years I might start seeing a return on investment, which is fine,” says Gray. “We don’t build a family farm to run it for five years.”
Still, the project is already paying off in other ways. “It’s a guaranteed food source for cattle.”
When asked what he’d do differently overall, Gray didn’t hesitate: “I’d have done it sooner.”
Then, after a pause, he added a practical note: he would have invested in more centre pivots and fewer travelling guns.
“It is a lot more work to irrigate the same number of acres when you’re working the travelling guns.”
Support and approvals
In a follow-up interview, Paley told Grainews the WSA takes a client-focused approach to all water management approvals, helping producers navigate the complex web of permits, licenses and potential funding.
WSA staff work closely with landowners from start to finish, offering guidance on everything from project design to connecting with qualified professionals. Staff can also point farmers toward the right specialists within Saskatchewan’s ministry of agriculture to explore funding options.
Two main sources of financial support are available for water management projects in Saskatchewan. The first is the Ag Water Management Fund, offerevd directly through the WSA. Depending on the scope of the work, this program can provide up to $95,000 per project, including:
- Up to $25,000 for qualified person services and mediation
- Up to $50,000 for technical design and engineering support
The second source is S-CAP, a federal initiative administered through Saskatchewan’s ministry of agriculture and jointly funded by the provinces and territories and federal government. The Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program (FRWIP) is currently the only S-CAP stream available for consolidation and irrigation projects.
Paley says the WSA collaborates closely with provincial ministry staff to ensure applicants are connected with the right funding specialists.
“These projects require infrastructure on the farm,” she says. “Funding can be the difference between a good idea and a viable one.”
Importantly, the system must be designed to reduce downstream impacts. Projects where water crosses a neighbour’s land are more complex and require additional permissions. Paley says that can often be the deciding factor when a grower opts for a consolidation project.
“If you keep all your water on your own land, it makes the approval process much easier and less cumbersome.”
After first consulting with the WSA, approval typically follows three main steps:
- Hire a qualified person — someone who can help map the land, prepare designs and navigate legal requirements
- Prepare an application — including project plans and land permissions
- Receive approval — once the technical review is complete and all permissions are in place.
While Paley’s comments apply specifically to Saskatchewan, regulations and funding options vary by province. In Manitoba, drainage and irrigation approvals fall under the department of environment and climate change. In Alberta, guidelines and legislation are outlined by the Alberta Water Portal.
Looking ahead
For Gray, consolidation has already boosted productivity — but it may also open doors to new crops and new income streams.
“I’m hoping to grow some higher-value crops,” he says, specifically mentioning sweet corn.
“The nice thing about it is it’s grown on recycled water. It could make a pretty good slogan.”
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