Water Quality in the Lake Winnipeg Watershed: An Environment Canada Perspective

1. Water Quality in the Lake Winnipeg Watershed: An Environment Canada Perspective

2. WATER ISSUES: COMPLEX & INTERCONNECTED Thanks to J. Mills &/or J. Carey for diagram

3. OUTLINE • Constitutional Overview • Transboundary Water management in Canada • Prairie Provinces Water Board • US – Canada Shared Waters • Boundary Waters Treaty • International Red River Boar • Proposal for a Lake Winnipeg Federal Action Plan

4. Water and the Constitution • Water is a shared responsibility in Canada • Water not mentioned in Constitution • Provinces have primary responsible for water management • Federal government important powers • Navigation, federal lands, international waters • “Peace, Order and Good Government” • Cooperative Federalism

5. A Case Study PRAIRIE PROVINCES WATER BOARD

6. NORTHWEST IRRIGATION ACT- 1894 • Appropriation of water for domestic and irrigation based on priority in time • Water belongs to the crown • Right to use is regulated by licenses which are subject to cancellation • NATURAL RESOURCES TRANSFER • AGREEMENTS OF 1930 • Transfer of responsibility for administration of water to the provinces • Some key responsibilities remained with the federal government

7. PARTNERSHIP REQUIRED • cooperation between the provinces • federal-provincial cooperation • 1948 - Prairie Provinces Water Board Agreement • 1969 - Parties renegotiated agreement • Master Agreement on Apportionment

9. WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT • 1992 - Schedule E • Established objectives at 11 reaches • Reach specific • To be review at least every 5 years • Commits parties to take reasonable and practical measures to maintain or improve existing water quality

10. WATER QUALITY MANADATE Schedule E , Clause 2: The mandate of the Board with respect to water quality in the water courses shall be to foster and facilitate interprovincial water quality management among the parties that encourages the protection and restoration of the aquatic environment.

11. PROTECTING WATER QUALITY • Monitor: 11 locations since 1974 • 12 location in 1992 • sediments and biota added in 1992 • characterize water quality/ecosystems • compliance with objectives • trend analysis • monitoring – federal responsibility

12. Water Quality Monitoring Stations

13. Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 • Provided principles and mechanisms to prevent and resolve disputes concerning water quantity, water quality and other environmental issues along the U.S.-Canada boundary • Established the International Joint Commission (IJC) • Established procedures for IJC approval of levels/flow-related construction in boundary waters

14. The IJC in Brief • A binational Treaty organization • Serves without direction from Governments • Operates along length of Canada-US boundary • Ensures compliance with arrangements for flows/water levels in boundary waters • Prevents and resolves disputes over shared waters and air • Conducts studies for Governments

15. INTERNATIONAL RED RIVER BOARD • Established in 2000 • IRRPB • ISRREB • Membership • 18 person board (9 each side) • Red River – excluding the Assiniboine and Souris Rivers

16. IRRB MANDATE • Recommend appropriate strategies concerning water quality, quantity and aquatic ecosystem health objectives • Continuous surveillance of water quality and quantity at the boundary • Maintain awareness of basin activities • Monitor progress on flood preparedness • Forum for identification and resolution of existing/emerging transboundary issues

17. OBJECTIVES AND ALERT LEVELS • Water Quality Objectives (1969) • Used to identify major W.Q. issues • Used to secure government commitment to pollution abatement action • Agreed to by governments • Water Quality Alert Levels (1985) • Complement water quality objectives • If exceeded, investigative action

18. RED RIVER WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES IJC Objectives at International Boundary • Chloride • Sulphate • TDS • Dissolved Oxygen • Fecal Coliform

19. RED RIVER WATER QUALITY SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM • IRRB member agencies provide data • Environment Canada at Emerson • Minnesota (10 sites) • North Dakota (17 sites) • Manitoba (2 sites) • Data provides overview of entire basin’s water quality conditions

20. Nutrient Objectives for the Red River • Feb 2003 - Lake Winnipeg Action Plan to reduce N and P levels to pre 70’s concentrations • Manitoba requests IRRB establish N and P objectives • April 2004 Multi-jurisdictional workshop to address technical issues and options • July 2004 IRRB agrees to three recommendations: (1) protect/restore Lake Winnipeg trophic status (2) interim goal to reduce Red River loading by 10% over next 5 years (3) work toward replacing interim goal with science based goals/targets • supported by participating agencies and endorsed by IRRB • Nov. 2004 IJC endorsed recommendations

21. Biological Monitoring • Development of biological monitoring and implementation strategies for basin is high priority of the IRRB • Literature review of species in the basin is underway • March 2004 - AEHC workshop to improve knowledge of principles and technology of biomonitoring and assessment, and application to the Red R. basin • July 2004 - AEHC provided two recommendations: (1) conduct biological assessment workshops to develop monitoring protocols for mainstem and wadeable tributaries (2) conduct basin-wide aquatic ecosystem health assessment: 30-50 sites per jurisdiction

22. Lake Winnipeg Federal Action Plan--Recovering Sustainability

23. Vision Statement • The health of Lake Winnipeg, Canada’s 3rd largest lake, is restored and sustained for the social and economic well-being of Canadians, and for its natural value.

24. Lake Winnipeg watershed • 10th largest freshwater lake in world (by surface)--24,500 km2 • LW Basin—960,000 km2 • Four provinces; 4 states • Man. Pop. 1.1M—5.8M within watershed • Ag-dominant land use • Red River 65% of nutrients (1/2 USA) only 9% of flow to LW • City of Winnipeg 65% of Man. pop.

25. Water availability and quality is highly variable across the watershed International “competition” for clean water Hog farming—7X increase since 1975—7.3M head--$800M in 2003 Manufacturing is 13% of GDP—12% of labor Lake Winnipeg Power $0.5B Tourism $0.110B Fishery $50M >10,500 cottages Clean energy: East-west power grid Infrastructure problems Forestry growing fast …. CESF outcomes--Competitiveness

26. CESF Outcomes—Health and the environment • Lake Winnipeg is drinking water to First Nations, cottagers, boaters, and shoreline communities • Fishery tied to nutrient enrichment • Lake level control exacerbates eutrophication quality issues • Blue green algae—toxins; beach closures; invasive species • Point source and non-point source pollution from Canada and the USA at varying levels of control—improvements needed in Manitoba • Ecology and function of LW poorly understood as are the controlling process • LW is quality Lake Erie was in the 70s before corrective action

27. Goal and Objectives • Restoration and sustainable management of Lake Winnipeg in partnership • Understanding the ecology of Lake Winnipeg • Restoring of ecological integrity of Lake Winnipeg • Long-term sustainability of Lake Winnipeg • Governance and communications

28. Understanding the ecology of Lake Winnipeg • Physical limnology of the lake • Biological community and interactions • Drivers controlling the “state” of the lake

29. Restoring ecological integrity of Lake Winnipeg • Prioritize Issues/Areas of Concern • Beneficial use impairment analysis • Targets for Lake Winnipeg restoration • Restorative Actions (adaptive) • Remediation through community involvement

30. Long-term sustainability of Lake Winnipeg • Resource use, supply and demand • Knowledge integration for decision-making • Information collection and reporting • Watershed resource management

31. Governance and communications • Federal-provincial CWA agreement • Federal inter-departmental agreement • Coordination, collaboration and partnerships • First Nations, universities, PPWB, IJC, LW Research Consortium, ENGOs, etc. • Communications and outreach