February 18, 2005

Water Stewardship Minister Steve Ashton received the interim report from the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board today. The report makes recommendations to help Manitoba reduce nutrient levels in Lake Winnipeg. Ashton immediately pledged action on implementing 23 of the recommendations.

"I accept in principle the majority of these recommendations and our government will move promptly to put into action those recommendations that are quickly attainable," said Ashton.

Ashton noted this report, which cites 32 recommendations, reinforces the province’s existing efforts as the government has already begun work on 10 of the recommendations.

"This interim report proves we are on the right track in our endeavour to bring Lake Winnipeg’s nutrient status to its pre-1970s conditions. We began taking action on the lake after preliminary scientific studies were completed, by announcing the Lake Winnipeg Action Plan in February 2003 which included the establishment of the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board. One of the board’s main objectives was to provide a detailed report that will provide useful guidance as we continue the critical work of reaching a 10 per cent reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus levels."

One of the interim report recommendations encourages the need for continued work with neighbouring jurisdictions to reduce nutrient loadings entering Manitoba.

"I have raised this issue with my federal and provincial counterparts on numerous occasions, and I will continue to have further discussions on how we can develop a national strategy to protect our most valuable resource," said Ashton.

Another recommendation calls for the review of agricultural land drainage networks on a watershed basis. "We will move immediately on this recommendation by ensuring that a water quality impact assessment will be included in all licensing decisions. We will also begin to plan and develop ways of undertaking environmentally-friendly drainage."

The minister noted the nine remaining recommendations that were not adopted in principle will be either referred back to the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board for further public discussion or to other government departments for analysis, consideration and/or implementation.

The Manitoba government has undertaken a number of initiatives since 2003 to address nutrient loading from all sources and sectors in Manitoba:

·         Limitations were placed on manure spreading and the location of spread fields, and
16 new inspectors were hired for enforcement.

·         A Riparian Areas Tax Credit was created and expanded to encourage the protection of vegetative cover along rivers and streams.

·         A soil testing awareness program was launched to prevent over-application of fertilizer.

·         Sponsored research was conducted on the scientific research vessel Namao.

·         Water Stewardship, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Environment Canada held a Lake Winnipeg science workshop and are working towards developing a collaborative long-term science plan for the lake.

·         Nutrient limits were incorporated into the new municipal sewage treatment license issued for the City of Winnipeg’s west-end sewage treatment plant upgrades with licenses for others to follow shortly.

·         An On-site Sewage Disposal Regulation was passed to set stricter limitations on location of holding tanks and septic fields.

·         A Clean Beaches Program was introduced this past summer with public awareness campaigns for beach goers and cottagers.

·         An agreement was reached, led by Manitoba, with Minnesota and North Dakota, to reduce nutrients flowing into the Red River and into Lake Winnipeg by 10 per cent. The agreement was recently endorsed by the International Joint Commission (IJC) and sent by the IJC to the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. secretary of state.

·         Manitoba continues to fight the Devils Lake outlet project that will bring even more harmful nutrients and other pollutants to Manitoba waterways.

·         In addition to specific actions for Lake Winnipeg, a first-of-its-kind Drinking Water Safety Act was passed by the government of Manitoba which brought in a subsidy for drinking water tests, an Office of Drinking Water was opened, 12 new drinking water officers were hired and $79 million was invested in drinking water and sewer infrastructure across the province.

The minister also said that speedy passage of the Water Protection Act will help fulfill many of the recommendations in the report. "For example, water management zones will limit nutrient application in sensitive areas. Water management zones will also be used to guide municipal and environmental licensing decisions on lagoon locations, the spreading of sludge and the siting and management of subdivisions."

The Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board comprises 18 members with representatives from a variety of interests and sectors including municipal, First Nations, agriculture, commercial fishing and science.

"The board recommends that its report now be used for public discussion and I have asked the board to lead this discussion and to report back by the end of June," said Ashton. "I also want to thank the board for its hard work in preparing this technically-complex report with well-reasoned recommendations that have far-reaching significance for the health of Lake Winnipeg, its watershed and the downstream environment."

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NOTE: The Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board’s full report can be obtained at http://lakewinnipeg.org or http://www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/.