The Value of Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices to Farmers and Landowners in the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District

The report evaluates 10 water retention projects in Manitoba's Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District, finding that such projects generally provide positive economic returns, particularly for livestock producers. While upfront construction costs are the primary expense, benefits include flood and drought protection, improved water quality, and operational efficiencies. A cost-benefit analysis indicates an average benefit-cost ratio of 3.16 for livestock producers over a 20-year period, though crop-only operations showed lower returns due to high initial costs and fewer on-farm co-benefits.

• Water retention projects in the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District (SRRWD) are primarily motivated by flood mitigation, with 9 out of 10 surveyed projects aiming to "reduce downstream flooding".
• The economic return on water retention is significantly higher for livestock farms than for crop-only farms. For seven livestock producers, the average benefit-cost ratio (BCR) is 3.16, meaning every dollar invested yields "CAD 3.16 dollars in water quality, extended grazing, and other co-benefits".
• Upfront construction costs are the dominant expense for these projects, accounting for "anywhere from 53% to 100% of the lifetime project costs". Total upfront costs for the 10 analyzed projects ranged from CAD 7,025.00 to CAD 87,050.44 in 2020 dollars.
• Livestock producers reported several operational co-benefits, including "extended grazing" due to moisture retention in dry years and a "reduced need to haul water", which saves both time and fuel costs.
• Water quality improvements are a significant component of the total benefits, with the 10 projects removing an average of 74.37 kg of total phosphorus (TP), 689.93 kg of total nitrogen (TN), and 12.46 tonnes of total suspended sediments annually. TN reductions accounted for "72% to 89% of the water quality benefits" across all sites.
• Financial assistance is critical for adoption; one producer stated that "construction costs would have been prohibitive" without the SRRWD Water Retention program, which covers 80% to 100% of total project costs.
• The long-term economic viability of these projects is sensitive to discount rates. At a 3% discount rate, benefits outweighed costs in 7 out of 10 projects; at a 9% discount rate, this occurred in 6 out of 10 projects, with the average BCR dropping from 2.5 to 1.6.

APA

Puzyreva, M., Zhao, J., Patel, B., Simoes, J., & Rawluk, A. (2022). The Value of Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices to Farmers and Landowners in the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-12/water-retention-practices-seine-rat-roseau-watershed-district.pdf

Chicago

Puzyreva, Marina, Jun Zhao, Bijal Patel, Joey Simoes, and Ashley Rawluk. The Value of Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices to Farmers and Landowners in the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-12/water-retention-practices-seine-rat-roseau-watershed-district.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Puzyreva |first1=Marina |last2=Zhao |first2=Jun |last3=Patel |first3=Bijal |last4=Simoes |first4=Joey |last5=Rawluk |first5=Ashley |title=The Value of Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices to Farmers and Landowners in the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-12/water-retention-practices-seine-rat-roseau-watershed-district.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{puzyreva2022value, author = {Puzyreva, Marina and Zhao, Jun and Patel, Bijal and Simoes, Joey and Rawluk, Ashley}, title = {{The Value of Water Retention Beneficial Management Practices to Farmers and Landowners in the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-12/water-retention-practices-seine-rat-roseau-watershed-district.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }