Eastern Irrigation District seeks approval to nearly triple Snake Lake Reservoir capacity

The Eastern Irrigation District has completed a second round of responses to provincial regulators reviewing its application to expand Snake Lake Reservoir in the County of Newell, with the responses now under review by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and the Natural Resources Conservation Board.

The project, described in Alberta Environment and Protected Areas' current environmental impact assessment registry, would increase the reservoir area by 780 hectares to a total area of 1,100 hectares and boost water storage capacity from 18.4 million cubic metres to 86 million cubic metres. The reservoir sits approximately 15 kilometres southeast of Bassano and 32 kilometres northwest of Brooks.

The expansion would require constructing nine kilometres of earthen banks up to 20 metres in height, as well as removing all or part of the existing East Dam to connect the current reservoir with the expanded area. The project would not require the EID to increase its existing water allocation or maximum diversion rate, according to the government's project description.

Snake Lake Reservoir is an off-stream irrigation storage facility that was originally built between 1995 and 1997. The provincial environmental assessment file shows the EID was first required to conduct a full environmental impact assessment in February 2022. Final terms of reference for the assessment were issued July 4, 2024.

The EID submitted its environmental impact assessment report and application for approval in March 2025. Regulators followed with a first supplemental information request on Oct. 3, 2025, and a second on Aug. 13, 2026. The EID filed responses to those requests in May 2026 and October 2026.

The supplemental information responses, published on the province's open data site, cover topics including noise, air quality, water management, hydrogeology, aquatics, wildlife, dam safety, climate change, historic resources and a benefit-cost analysis.

The province's project description says the expansion is planned to provide additional water security for irrigation agriculture downstream of the reservoir.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas can be reached at 780-427-5828 (toll-free: 310-0000) for more information on the environmental assessment process. More information is also available at ea.alberta.ca.