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(NewsDakota.com) The first long term irrigation agreement has been signed between the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District and the federal Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Garrison Diversion Project.

It’s a 40 year agreement to allow irrigation water from the McClusky Canal to be pumped to land northwest of Turtle Lake.

Garrison Diversion Conservancy District chairman John Leininger says initially, one million acres were authorized for irrigation but because of objections from Canada and other states, that number has been whittled down to 75-thousand acres.

Leininger says the 40 year agreement also gives farmers the confidence to invest in irrigation equipment.