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After a record-dry April across central Saskatchewan, a University of Saskatchewan water expert is warning the problem could keep compounding.
Only 0.4 millimetres of precipitation fell in Saskatoon through April, marking the driest April ever in recorded history. It followed similarly dry spells in other areas across the central portion of the province.
John Pomeroy, director of Global Water Futures at the U of S, said the lack of moisture follows a drier-than-normal winter — which could cause an issue for crops this season.
“Deeper soil moisture has been depleted in many areas,” he said. “Of course, we see (grass) fires as a start, but the problem will be when you start to grow crops.”
Pomeroy noted the dry weather has led to standing water drying up as well, which could end up leading to even less precipitation in the coming growing season.
“To generate rain, sometimes we need evaporation in wetlands and other areas,” he said. “They’re not holding that water now.”
He added farmers who are planting canola and other crops that require decent amounts of moisture may end up with smaller yields due to the lack of moisture in the ground.
Pomeroy said while it’s difficult for farmers to adjust their rotations now, they may need to consider planting crops that thrive in drier conditions in future seasons.
The Canada research chair in water resources and climate change also warned problems could get worse for Saskatchewan if better plans aren’t made for water security and distribution.
“We’re in a period of dramatic climate change and extremes … and it’s going to get worse,” he said, pointing to flooding in the east and droughts in the west. “We can re-engineer our province to provide water for regions that have endemic drought.”
Pomeroy said a crucial project would be to complete the work on Lake Diefenbaker that was started by John Diefenbaker, Tommy Douglas and James Gardiner to use the man-made body as a reliable source of irrigation for south-central Saskatchewan.
“We have this tremendous resource there and … ultimately it’s a reliable source of water under most of the climate change scenarios that I’ve looked at,” he said.
