March 18, 2010
PROGRESS WELL UNDERWAY TO IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF LAKE WINNIPEG STEWARDSHIP BOARD: MELNICK
– – –Reports by Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba Stewardship Boards Released
Two
years after the release of the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board’s final report
containing 135 recommendations for action, the board has evaluated the progress
made by the Government of Manitoba in implementing the recommendations, Water
Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick said today, as she released the board’s
progress report.
“The
board has recognized the tremendous challenge associated with implementing these
135 recommendations and has acknowledged the work of the province in making
progress towards reducing nutrient loading,” said Melnick.
The
progress report said the province has demonstrated good progress on the majority
of the 135 recommendations including:
·
recognizing the priority on reducing nutrients from waste-water effluents;
·
passing first-in-Canada legislation to virtually eliminate the phosphorus
content in household automatic dishwasher detergent and to eliminate the
application of fertilizers in buffer zones along waterways;
·
providing ongoing investment to research in and around Lake Winnipeg including
support for the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium and the research ship
Namao;
·
launching a public education campaign in conjunction with the south basin reeves
and mayors promoting lake-friendly products that minimize impact to Lake
Winnipeg; and
·
implementing stronger measures and additional resources for licensing drainage
projects and improving drain maintenance across the province; and
·
initiating work to restore and protect critical wetlands including Delta and
Netley marshes.
“Clearly the
Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board’s recommendations on reducing nutrient loading
to Lake Winnipeg did not sit on the shelf. Showing strong leadership, the
Manitoba government moved quickly to initiate implementation of most of the
recommendations and further challenged the board to monitor progress, an
indication that the deteriorating state of Lake Winnipeg is a very serious
matter,” said Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board chair William Barlow. “No
single entity, whether a municipal, provincial, or federal, or a non government
organization can accomplish what needs to be done on its own. There
continues to be a real need to co-ordinate and implement concrete action on the
landscape.”
The
board’s 135 recommendations to address the health of the lake were contained in
its last report to the province, released in February 2007. While not all
recommendations in the board’s report were directed at the Province of Manitoba,
the progress report rated the province based in part on its progress towards
influencing other jurisdictions and organizations to take action.
“The
Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board’s report has provided a path forward to improve
the health of the lake,” Melnick said. “Action is underway and will
continue as we work to address a problem that was decades in the making. I
have asked Mr. Barlow to work with stakeholders to ensure implementation
continues with a focus on priority areas.”
Melnick
also recognized the work of the Lake Manitoba Stewardship Board and released its
annual report for 2009.
“I want
to thank Dr. Gordon Goldsborough, chair of the Lake Manitoba Stewardship and the
rest of the board for their hard work gathering information on the lake and its
watershed,” she said. “I have asked the board to focus their efforts over
the next year on a review of Manitoba Water Stewardship’s draft fisheries
management plan for Lake Manitoba, which is currently under development, and to
provide advice to me on the draft plan.”
The
Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board’s report on progress and the Lake Manitoba
Stewardship Board’s annual report can be found on Manitoba Water Stewardship
website at www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/reports/index.html.
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