Prairie Engineering Partners Selected for Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project

REGINA – The Government of Saskatchewan has announced that Prairie Engineering Partners has been awarded the contract for the upcoming planning and design work for the Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project (WIRP).

Prairie Engineering Partners is a joint venture between Stantec and MPE Engineering.

“Our government is committed to this project and this is the next step in moving the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Projects into the construction phase. This project starts on the waters of Lake Diefenbaker, but has the potential to create significant benefits for all of Saskatchewan,” provincial Water Security Agency Minister David Marit said in a statement.

In March, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced that the province is moving forward with construction of the first 90,000 hectares of the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Projects (LDIP), a press release said.

The WIRP is the first component of the overall LDIP and is designed to optimise existing infrastructure and develop new infrastructure from Lake Diefenbaker to the Ardath-Swanson area near Conquest to create 90,000 hectares of irrigated land.

The Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement evaluated the proposals based on technical criteria, financial costing and face-to-face interviews, the release said. Prairie Engineering Partners will be responsible for completing the field work, planning and engineering for the next phase of the project design.

Engineering, design and stakeholder and indigenous rights holder engagement are expected to take place over the next year, with full-scale construction of the 90,000 hectares to begin in 2025-2026, the release said.