What would you do?

[ado089]

BTW does anyone have a couple of pails of amonium nitrate kicking around?

[checking]

It's kind of a cut and dry situation, as I see it, freewheat, or in your case (wet!). DRAINAGE MORATORIAM. Anyone that can find some wiggle room in the wording of such an order should be lawyer, not a farmer. They are also not the one on the hook for the damages that could be levelled.

This is not the same situation as a disgruntled neighbour, who for all reasons except water, launches a complaint because he knows it is the only way to cause you grief. On that, you at least have a fighting chance that the neighbour will lose as much sleep over the following years, before it's settled with an order, as you will. You also have the chance that you were right to do what you did, and even if it goes the opposite way, remember the neighbour just set the same rules for himself.

But a drainage moratorium, and you guys are telling him to do it. How many of you have been through the process to offer such encouragement?

[freewheat]

Checking, I guess I'll just go broke then, eh? Because of a lack of any common sense whatsoever. They worry about 8 cm when it rains 100 cm. The creek entering the lake is running as it has all year at nearly full spring runoff capacity.

Its kinda like gun control. Get everyone but crooks to register. In this case it is lets put a feel good moratorium on productive land, so it looks like we're doing something to save cabins in a flood plain/marsh, at the expense of food producers. Guess what? It doesn't stop 40 inches of rain from falling.

I guess the high levels of the lake in the 1910's and 1920'2 was caused by all that drainage. LOL

[booboo04]

The Drainage Moratorium is only in an area near Fishing Lake. It is roughly the size of an RM and the Yorkton Watershed Authority Office can tell you if you are in or out of the area. If you are outside the area, then find the adequate outlet, get landowner consents up to that outlet, and then you can get an Approval to Construct from The Watershed Authority.

[oneoff]

Ditch; drain and refill eh!
And you expect no one to complain; and you think that no one will scrutinize the level that you refilled it too.
And you wouldn't take it from me that you run the very strong risk of being held to "historical" water levels of every pothole and depressions that any one of the trenches could possibly have influenced. And that process will go on over a period of about a decade; during which you will have no idea of how deep your troble; or the financial impact of the losses you may end up being responsible for.
Few listen to my advice; but my advice is that wd9 knows nothing about this subject. Those who think begging for forgiveness; looking for loopholes that don't exist; and extrapolating nonsense into solutions; will find i a sure recipe for adding to your troubles.
Consolidating water on your own property and "adequate outlets" are fine and even sometimes a workable solution; but individual farmers don't get to make those decisions. When you are talking feet of rainfall over a quarter section; just what new lake on your property are you going to construct that does not impact someone; somewhere? And just who has every neighbor downstream that agrees with evreything you believe in. It's almost an impossible situation; and every last person who advises disregarding SaskWater and Environment rules and regulations are complete babbling idiots. Prove me wrong; or else quit giving foolish advice to people in desperate water problem situations.

[oneoff]

If "Drainage Moratorium" applies to you; then what part of "Drainage Moratorium" don't you understand?
If you are truly interested in water consolidation on you own lands etc. etc. then carefully consider the worst case scenarios that could potentially affect your neighbors and increasingly even the environment. It is prudent to attempt to find out where you will stand with both of those government departments; because thats exactly where those likely disputes will quickly find themselves.
And you can be Jack Messer; or wd9 or whomever; and you will still be in deep shit.
Should be 'nuff said; but it never is.

[BreadWinner]

Ditching wont solve the problem, it just passes it onto someone else. How many miles of V ditching do you want to fill in? I don't like v diching for just that reason. Be carfull your neighbors might just come unglued if you head out to ditch onto their property that just about dried up.

[furrowtickler]

Piss on the cabin owners, you have to make a living and feed your family. Ask the cabin owners to kick $20 g's each if they will not let you drain some land. If your dirt is farmable 90% of the time, drain it. I would not think twice.

[freewheat]

Well guys thanks for your input, the works of you.

A few points:

Every farmer I know of is on the same page, we have had enough of this crap.

No one downstream of me has land that is anywhere near drying up so making there wet land wetter is not going to happen.

In our area, there is enough roll to the land that water can be sent downstream where it quickly ends up in feeder creeks to the main creek.

Its not just me that is looking at pulling out the ditcher. Everyone I know is looking at it.

In my personal situation, most of my water would be sent on my own land, into a feeder creek which is the outlet of two large sloughs. An outlet which never before existed until these past few wet years. This creek has never quit running ths year, and so it is not likely to make much downstream impact.

I appreciate especially the guys who seem to understand the gravity of this situation.

Thanks to all for your insight and input, by all means, keep talking. LOL

[Burbert]

Ditch it, farming is SPECIAL, in Saskabush fer sure. Nobody will put you in jail fer ditchin! Farmers gotta live too. Summer village people will just have ta cope. Mosta the lakes in Albertie are goin dry..... Tar sands are usin it up I guess! Crazy world isn't it.