August 20, 2003

The province has received the final report on the Clean Environment Commission’s (CEC’s) review of the City of Winnipeg’s waste water systems, Conservation Minister Steve Ashton has announced.

"This report represents a very valuable tool in our overall strategy to improve water throughout the province and Lake Winnipeg in particular," said Ashton. "The recommendations in this report build on our ongoing work to control nutrients and waste that come from a variety of sources as well as working with our neighbours south of the border."

Recommendations in the report include:

• instituting a public notification system for future sewage overflows that impact the Red River;
• accelerating actions to reduce the flow of nutrients to Lake Winnipeg;
• issuing interim licences for waste water treatment plants in Winnipeg with ongoing reviews; and
• establishing effluent limits for treatment plants in accordance with Manitoba’s Water Quality Standards, Objectives and Guidelines.

"I commend the CEC for their thorough analysis and recommendations on the city’s waste water collection and treatment systems," said Ashton. "Our government is committed to making all the improvements necessary to continue to protect our province’s valuable waterways."

"In principle, we accept the CEC’s recommendations and will continue to work with the City of Winnipeg to help improve the reliability of their waste water treatment systems and their effectiveness in protecting water quality in the Red River and Lake Winnipeg," said Energy, Science and Technology Minister Tim Sale, speaking today on behalf of Ashton. "Plans to upgrade these systems will also continue to be discussed with the City of Winnipeg to ensure timely implementation."

The City of Winnipeg is expected to develop an implementation plan within the coming weeks.

Immediately following the incident at the North Winnipeg Water Pollution Control Centre, the province took action in several areas such as:

• asking the CEC to hold public hearings and make recommendations on the City of Winnipeg’s waste water collection and treatment systems;
• reviewing events at the north-end sewage treatment facility that led to the spill;
• working with city officials to co-ordinate daily water quality tests on the Red River to monitor aquatic and fishery impacts; and
• increasing the frequency of water quality monitoring for beaches on the southern portions of Lake Winnipeg for a time immediately following the incident.

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Since 1999, addressing water issues has been a priority of the Manitoba government. Highlights of actions taken as part of a provincial Water Strategy include:

• Drinking water resources, infrastructure and legislation: To protect the quality of drinking water, subsidies for water tests have been re-introduced, new drinking water officers have been hired, a new office of drinking water has been established, $40 million has been invested in drinking water and sewer infrastructure and new drinking water legislation has been passed to address issues from source to tap.
• Stronger livestock regulations and monitoring: New regulations include requirements for all above ground storage tanks, annual water sampling and the regulation of between 600 smf 800 additional operations. Sixteen new staff have been added to conduct on-site inspections.
• Actions to protect Lake Winnipeg: To begin the task of reducing nutrient levels in Lake Winnipeg, new sewage and septic field regulations have been passed to restrict sewage and septic installations based on soil type, slope and proximity to water. In addition, a Riparian Tax Credit is in effect and Soil Testing Awareness programs have been introduced. High level cross-border meetings have been held with North Dakota and Minnesota officials. Nutrient management is also being built into environmental licensing for municipal sewage treatment facilities consistent with the recommendations from the CEC report released today. A Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board has been established to further actions to protect the lake.
• Expanding Conservation Districts: These districts are based on local conservation approaches to watershed management and have been expanded from nine to 16 across the province.
• Building our scientific knowledge: Includes completing the Assiniboine River Study on the health of the river as well as the nutrient management study on the health of the Red and Assiniboine rivers and the south basin of Lake Winnipeg. In addition, Manitoba Water Quality Standards, Objectives, and Guidelines have been updated to become among the most comprehensive frameworks in the nation for water protection.