Feds give to Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative sees first project funding
Posted By Shane Gibson
Posted 7 months ago
The federal government plans to help clean up Lake Winnipeg by pumping something green into it – money.
Treasury Board president and Provencher MP, Vic Toews, along with Selkirk-Interlake MP James Bezan, announced $1.1 million in funding for 14 projects under the Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative at a press conference held at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on June 25.
“This is project funding that represents an important federal contribution towards helping to improve the health of the Lake Winnipeg watershed,” said Bezan.
Bezan said the funds are the first round of funding announced as part of the Conservative government’s Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative and was first announced in March 2007.
At that time $7 million in government funding was promised, but that amount was boosted to $18 million in November of that year, after the government took heat over promising $12 million to Ontario’s Lake Simcoe.
Toews, who attended the announcement on behalf of Environment Minister Jim Prentice, said although the funding is going directly to projects aimed at cleaning up Lake Winnipeg, the action would have far reaching affects into much of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario and even south of the border into Minnesota and North Dakota because of the size of the lake’s watershed.
“Lake Winnipeg is in (the Selkirk-Interlake riding) but the entire watershed extends far beyond this riding and all of Manitoba – it has a dramatic impact on the entire Northern part of the continent and indeed throughout North America,” he said.
Lake Winnipeg is Canada’s sixth largest freshwater lake, and Toews said he’s concerned that algae growth has at times covered nearly half of the body of water.
“Too much phosphorus, nitrogen and algae have damaged its health and vitality and have negatively impacted on its water quality. Our lakes, rivers and oceans are too precious to waste in this way,” he said, adding the government would be focusing its efforts on improving the water quality and nutrient management of the entire lake and basin.
“We are supporting projects that show concrete demonstrable results in reducing pollutants,” he explained.
COMMITTEE TO ADVISE PRENTICE
A few of the 14 projects announced at the press conference include spending $25,000 to reduce agricultural nutrient runoff to the Icelandic River and Washbow Bay Creek, spending $139,400 to improve source water quality in the Assiniboine River and its tributaries, spending $33,000 to reduce agricultural runoff along the Whitemud River and Stony Creek , spending $44,000 to expand the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Netley-Libau Marsh Research project, and giving $379,800 to Ducks Unlimited and its partners to establish a watershed monitoring network that could be used to assign a monetary value to wetland restoration.
Henry Murkin, director of conservation programs with Ducks Unlimited, was on hand at the funding announcement, and says the money will help his organization use science to better understand the environmental impacts that the everyday decisions we make have on the Lake Winnipeg watershed.
“Ducks Unlimited is very pleased to see the government include funding for projects that include wetlands as a critical part of the solution to Lake Winnipeg,” he said.
Committee formed
Toews also announced the appointment of a public advisory committee that will provide advice to Minister Prentice about future Lake Winnipeg stewardship project proposals.
“The committee members have a wide range of experience in the Lake Winnipeg watershed, and a strong commitment to its communities, industries, and issues involved in the clean up of Lake Winnipeg and its watersheds,” said Toews of the newly formed committee.
Committee members include Marlene Cook, Deputy Mayor of Selkirk, David Crate, Chief of Fisher River First Nation, fifth-generation commercial fisherman Robert Kristjanson, member of the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board, Allan Kristofferson, managing director of the Lake Winnipeg Consortium, Interlake fisher David Tomasson, and Garry Wasylowski, a cattle producer, and the former reeve of the RM of Armstrong.
Although he couldn’t say exactly when more of the money promised in the Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative would begin to flow to other projects, Toews said the newly formed committee would play a vital role in choosing which projects would be chosen for funding.
“We want to ensure that we get the best possible projects, and that we approach this from a scientific and practical point of view in terms of ensuring that that money is well spent,” he said. “We will move this ahead as quickly as possible, but at this point I can’t announce any further projects.”
Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund Approved Projects
Qu’Appelle River Water Quality Mitigation Project
Project lead: Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $4,300
This project will reduce agricultural nutrient runoff to a seasonal oxbow lake in the Upper Assiniboine River through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones
Icelandic River and Washow Bay Creek Non-Point Source Nutrient Abatement Program
Project lead: East Interlake Conservation District
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $25,000
This program will reduce agricultural nutrient runoff to the Icelandic River and Washbow Bay Creek through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones.
Souris River Riparian Enhancement Program
Project lead: Turtle Mountain Conservation District
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $25,000
This program will reduce agricultural nutrient runoff to the Souris River through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones.
Seine River Riparian Enhancement Program
Project lead: Seine Rat River Conservation District
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $25,000
This program will reduce agricultural nutrient runoff to the Seine River through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones.
Modeling Water Quality in the South Basin of Lake Manitoba
Project lead: University of Manitoba
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $25,000
This study will improve understanding of Lake Manitoba water quality and provide a basis for evaluating nitrogen and phosphorous reduction efforts that could also be used to measure the impact of Lake Winnipeg stewardship initiatives.
Whitemud Watershed Water Quality Improvement
Project lead: Whitemud Watershed Conservation District
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $33,000
This project will reduce agricultural nutrient runoff along the Whitemud River and Stony Creek through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones.
Meewasin Valley Authority Riparian Restoration
Project lead: Meewasin Valley Authority
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $43,000
This project will improve water quality in the South Saskatchewan River and Lake Winnipeg by restoring natural vegetation to damaged shore lands and providing public outreach on the importance of riparian zones in river ecology.
Advancing Netley-Libau Marsh Restoration Efforts
Project lead: International Institute for Sustainable Development
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $44,000
This project will expand on the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Netley-Libau Marsh Research project and promote the nutrient reduction benefits of marshland restoration to community stakeholders.
Building Capacity for Ecological Infrastructure Investments in the Red River
Basin
Project lead: Red River Basin Commission
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $55,000
This project will encourage Canadian municipalities and counties in the United States to jointly discuss costs and benefits of restoring natural environments to improve interjurisdictional water quality.
Building Local Capacity to Manage Surface Water for Nutrient Reduction
Project lead: Tobacco Creek Model Watershed
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $75,000
This project will establish a water flow and quality monitoring network for the Tobacco Creek Model Watershed. Longer-term goals include community outreach for the development of a Surface Water Management Plan to improve and maintain watershed health and restore wetlands.
Wastewater Pond Systems in Cold Climates
Project lead: Spectrum Scientific Inc.
Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative contribution: $132,767
The goal of this project is to adapt a wastewater pond system to Manitoba’s climate, using a modified greenhouse structure.
