This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Natural Infrastructure Fund.

What Are We Asking?

The City of Saskatoon is looking to identify where we can optimize irrigation, reduce irrigated area and transition to naturalized landscaping to improve our water use in City green spaces and increase their resilience to climate change. The City hired Scatliff + Miller + Murray with KGS Group to study 21 green spaces in Summer 2023 to determine what irrigation and landscaping improvements can be made. From this study, the City selected two sites - Boughton Park and Leif Erickson Park - to pilot optimized irrigation, drought tolerant plantings and other water conservation opportunities in the Summer of 2024. 

How Can You Get Involved?

The City is hosted a Come & Go Information Sessions for residents to view the design plans, ask questions and provide feedback at the following two venues:

Boughton Park Upgrade Information Session
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
St. John School (Gymnasium), 1205 Avenue N South
7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Leif Erickson Park Upgrade Information Session
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Westmount School (Library), 411 Avenue J North
7 to 8:00 p.m.
 

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Natural Infrastructure Fund.

What is the Project About? 

In Summer 2023, the City studied numerous green spaces to determine what improvements can be made to the existing irrigation systems and where naturalized landscaping can be used to improve our water efficiency. The study included onsite visits and drone photography.  

The project provides many benefits, including meeting the City’s water use reduction targets, lowering GHG emissions and operating costs, and enhancing biodiversity.

The goals of the Park Irrigation and Naturalization Improvements Study are to:  

• Audit 21 sites to identify improvements 
• Determine ways to optimize irrigation 
• Determine areas that can transition to naturalized landscaping 
• Develop conceptual designs for three sites to implement irrigation improvements and naturalized landscaping 

Why Are We Doing This Work? 

This project is being funded in part by the Government of Canada's Natural Infrastructure Fund. The work will help to implement Saskatoon’s Green Infrastructure Strategy and to achieve its vision for an interconnected green network. 

The City has a long-term Water Conservation Strategy that includes actions to reduce water use in City-owned facilities and operations. Targets for overall indoor and outdoor water conservation were set in the Low Emissions Community Plan Actions 25 and 26:  

• reduce overall water use by 5% (2.4 million m3 ) by 2026 
• reduce outdoor water use by 20% (1.4 million m3) 
• reduce indoor water use by 30% (13 million m3) by 2050

The City uses over 1.5 billion litres of water each year in its facilities and operations. Two thirds of civic water use (excluding community use) is outdoors during summer, 51% for green space irrigation. 

Optimizing the City’s irrigation network and increasing naturalized landscaping will help reduce the City’s reliance on drinking water to maintain its natural infrastructure and help reduce emissions associated with treating and distributing drinking water. This will help the City achieve its water use reduction targets, lower GHG emissions and operating costs, and increase the City’s resilience to climate change.