Water Allocation Update: August 1, 2024

The LNID Board of Directors met on July 31, 2024, to review the current water supply of the Oldman River Reservoir as well as crop demands and has decided to hold the water allocation for 2024 at 11” per acre.

At the time of the meeting, the Oldman River Reservoir was sitting at just under 80% of full supply volume (about 325,000 acre-feet) and Keho Reservoir continued to hover around 90% full supply volume. The average water use in the district is approximately 6” per acre. Inflows into the Oldman River Reservoir have reduced to similar low levels that were seen at this time in 2023.

The LNID Board of Directors considers a lot of information to determine an appropriate allocation, such as the needs of indiviual water users as well as the District as a whole, for both completing the 2024 irrigation season and preparing for 2025. At the current trajectory of usage, the Oldman River Reservoir is projected to end the 2024 irrigation season with at least 43% of full supply volume, compared to 27% in 2023. Although water volumes in the Oldman River Reservoir are ahead of this time last year, water levels are still below the lower quartile.

To view some of the information that the LNID Board uses for calculating allocation, click here. This information is supplied by Alberta Agricultural and Irrigation, Water Infrastructure Operations Branch.

Allocation transfers can be applied for by submitting your request via email to allocation@lnidweb.ca. We will reply with a request form for completion. There is no charge for administration of these transfers.

The LNID Board would like to thank all water users for supplying at least a 24-hour notice for water orders. It takes anywhere from 12 hours to almost 48 hours for water to get from the Oldman River Reservoir to an irrigator’s land. Any extra notice to your Water District Coordinator helps in forecasting the District’s needs and limiting our return flow, especially in such a limited water season.

As of: August 1, 2024