Alberni Agricultural Water Plan

(2024 - 2025)

Upland was contracted by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District to develop an Agricultural Water Plan following the creation of the Alberni Valley Agricultural Plan in 2011. Two of the goals set forth in the Agricultural Plan speak directly to the objectives of this project: Goal 7: Improve the Productivity of the Land Base and Goal 12: Increase the Availability of Water for Agriculture. The ACRD received funding through the Investment Agriculture Foundation BC’s Agricultural Water Infrastructure Grant Fund to develop this Agricultural Water Plan for the Alberni Valley.

The project's scope includes identifying and quantifying agricultural water opportunities within Electoral Area ‘B’ - Beaufort, Electoral Area ‘D’ - Sproat Lake, Electoral Area ‘E’ - Beaver Creek, Electoral Area ‘F’ - Cherry Creek, and the City of Port Alberni. Land in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and non‐ALR land that may have agricultural viability based on soil classification were considered within the scope of analysis (see Section 3 for more details). A mix of irrigation equipment types, based primarily on crop feasibility and viability, were also included in the modelling. Table 1 (following page) provides a summary of the water supply options that were included in this review, along with notes as to which section of the report provides information about each option.