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Irrigation partnerships have resulted in the restoration of 80,000 acres of critical wetland and 160,000 acres of managed uplands.“Not only does wetland drought proof land that was often arid in its natural state, we’ve found that it also improves the quality of water coming back in the return flow channels.”
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- Alberta NAWMP Partnership
- Beaver Hills Initiative
- Irrigation Districts
Irrigation Districts 
Ducks Unlimited Canada’s partnerships with irrigation began in the 1940s war years in the irrigation districts of southern Alberta. The two main players, the Eastern Irrigation District (EID) based in Brooks and the Western Irrigation District (WID) in Strathmore, both agreed that DUC could have the free use of land to develop waterfowl habitat using the return or “waste” water from their operations.
The partnership continues as DUC continues to expand its activities in the irrigation districts. Today there are 80,000 acres of critical wetland and 160,000 acres of managed uplands restored through this partnership. The benefit for Ducks Unlimited is secure wetland habitat for waterfowl in southern Alberta. For the irrigation districts, the benefits are the establishment of permanent water for crop production, stock watering, improvement in the quality of water and the provision of multiple use benefits to the broader community.
DUC and the irrigation districts also partner on research. Because water levels can be manipulated in an irrigation system, DUC biologists are able to study the effects of various wetland water levels and identify the volume that is optimal for the environment and agriculture.
