Feds to decide if review needed on Quill Lakes diversion channel after province decides it is not necessary

The federal government is stepping into the fray and says it will decide whether a comprehensive environmental review is needed for a contentious water diversion project in south central Saskatchewan.

The move comes after the Saskatchewan government decided a provincial review wasn't necessary for what's known as the Common Ground Drainage Channel Diversion a decision that ignited a chorus of concern.

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The project would see flood-plagued landowners divert seven million cubic metres of water annually before it reaches Quill Lakes down into Last Mountain Lake.

The latter lake is both a popular fishing spot for walleye and home to North America's largest bird sanctuary.

Birds, salty water among concerns

Environment and Climate Change Canada is worried about the channel's potential impacts on the Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area and sanctuary.

The department is also worried about "the potential for high saline water to enter fish-bearing water," according to a letter recently sent to a group by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, the country's national regulator.

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While one step short of a formal environmental assessment, CEAA's screening still means there will be some scrutiny of the project's environmental footprint, with input being sought from groups like the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.

"The agency will review the project and the potential environmental effects," according to CEAA's letter.

Environmental groups and residents in downstream communities along the Lower Qu'Appelle River Watershed had expressed concern both about the Saskatchewan government's decision and the lack of information about the project.

• Sask.gov'tprocess has people 'in the dark' on Quill Lakes water drainage plan

Both the government and the group behind the project, the Quill Lakes Watershed Association, had declined to share the proposal.

The Pasqua First Nation, which owns and uses land near Last Mountain Lake, has even threatened to apply for a judicial review of the province's decision.

• Pasqua First Nation threatens Sask. gov't with legal action over Quill Lakes water channel

New details emerge

CBC News has now obtained both a copy of the project's design report and an operational plan.See the full documents at the bottom of the story. Don't see them or on mobile? Click here.

The design report calls for the replacement of eight culverts and the installation of two new gated culverts along the channel.

It's hoped the channel will lower the water level at Quill Lakes by 60 centimetres.

The average level of total dissolved solids (TDS) travelling through the channel is expected to be between 2,500 and 6,500 milligrams per cubic metre.

"The desired water quality must have a TDS less than 9,000," according to Resource Management International Inc., the company tapped by the association to create the plan.

Any TDS levels above that threshold will be reported to the Water Security Agency, the company added.

Water samples will be collected every two weeks during the first three years of the project.

More hurdles to come

Even if CEAA decides a full environmental assessment isn't called for, the association still needs to get permits and approvals from the Water Security Agency.

The agency is still waiting on several reports from the association.

"We haven't got the full application from our perspective," said Patrick Boyle, the agency's executive director, on Saturday. "We've conveyed that to the watershed association and they know that."

"We're working as hard as we can to do it as soon as possible," said Kerry Holderness, the chair of the association.

The Saskatchewan government has required that construction of the channel, if it ever happens, only occurs between November and April.