Drainage Regulatory Program

WSA’s farmer-focused approach to agricultural water management recognizes the importance of drainage as a tool for managing water on the land and provides clear guidance for using responsible practices that protect water quality, safeguard wildlife habitat, and reduce the risk of local flooding. WSA is committed to working with farmers to build practical, water management solutions that will benefit both farming communities and the environment. 

Drainage has been a key part of settling Saskatchewan. It has made land available for communities, roads, crops and resource development.  However, poorly designed projects can have negative impacts, including:  

• local to large-scale downstream flooding and infrastructure damage,  
• degraded water quality from erosion and increased contaminants,  
• and negative impacts on wildlife habitat.  

Many of these problems can be avoided.  WSA’s approach to drainage management was developed through consultations with the public, stakeholders, and agricultural producers. It’s intended to achieve the benefits of drainage while managing the risks to our environment. 

You can get approval for a drainage project in a few different ways—either as an individual landowner or by working together with neighbors as part of a drainage network. In drainage networks, groups of producers and other landowners work together to operate a drainage project that drains into an adequate outlet.   Working with neighbors can help share costs, manage water more effectively, and reduce the risk of flooding or erosion for everyone involved.  

Producers and other landowners may also work together by forming a formal organization such as a Conservation and Development Authority (C&D).  

Legal Compliance and Risk Management 

• Approval ensures your drainage project meets provincial regulations, avoiding compliance measures and risk of lost productivity. 
• It helps manage risk by preventing disputes with neighbors and protecting downstream landowners from flooding. 

Improved Farm Efficiency 

• Proper drainage reduces excess water on fields, improving soil health, reduces crop losses from waterlogged areas and increases overall productivity.  

Environmental Stewardship 

• Approved projects include measures like wetland retention, and flow & erosion control which protect water quality and wildlife habitat. 
• This supports sustainable farming and compliance with environmental standards.  

Access to Funding and Technical Support 

• Farmers with approved projects may qualify for cost-shared funding for design and mitigation works. 
• The Water Security Agency supports producers with technical guidance to make projects feasible and compliant.  

Better Water Management Across Farms 

• Working within approved networks allows coordinated water flow, reducing flooding risks and improving drainage efficiency for everyone involved. 

• All drainage needs an approval.  All drainage works need an approval regardless of when they were built. No unapproved works are grandfathered.

• Permission from neighbours. When draining, the proponent must have permission to move water onto, or across, any other person’s land to the point of adequate outlet. The most secure form of land permission is a registered easement. Permission to use land can also be obtained through joint applications or written agreements.  

• Drainage approvals will consider how to reduce impact and will reflect the risk involved.  Approval holders will be required to use best practices in design and construction of works to reduce impacts of drainage. The required elements for drainage project design depend on two things: how big the project is and where it’s located. Bigger projects usually move more water, so they often need flow control structures and erosion control in certain spots. Location also matters because some areas have sensitive water sources used for drinking or recreation. In those places, additional safeguards like keeping more wetland areas are required to protect water quality.

• Approval holders may be required to install and operate structures to control the release of water from a drain.  In order to prevent drained water adding to flood peaks, higher risk activities will be required to install permanent flow restriction structures, such as suitably sized culverts or gates. 

• Approval holders may be required to retain some surface water or storage space for water.  In order to prevent drainage adding to flood peaks, higher risk activities may be required to permanently retain a portion of the surface water they wanted to drain as wetland or dead storage (ability to fill).

• Qualified persons (QPs) will assist landholders to prepare drainage applications. Drainage applications (especially in networks) are complicated because they often involve many legal parcels and landowners. Landowners should expect to hire a qualified person for assistance in most cases. 

• WSA’s response to drainage complaints now focuses on achieving compliance.  When WSA receives a request for assistance, we will confirm that there are drainage works and whether they are approved.  If they are not approved, the owner of the works has a period of time to obtain an approval or be required to close the works. 

The Agricultural Water Management Fund offered by the Water Security Agency supports responsible drainage by assisting producers or local governments in achieving approvals for water management projects and in advancing drainage projects. The Agricultural Water Management Fund provides eligible applicants with financial assistance for water management projects to improve farm efficiency and profitability, while mitigating impacts to water quality, flooding and wetland habitat.  You can learn more by clicking  the link below: