The Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund provides financial and technical support on projects or activities having concrete, demonstrable results to reduce pollutants, and in particular, nutrient loads entering Lake Winnipeg. Round 7 projects, detailed below, represent the most recent projects to receive approval for funding.
Environment Canada administers the Fund with support from a Technical Review committee and a Public Advisory Committee.
Round 7 (2014)
Project Name: Bow River Phosphorus Management Plan Implementation: Floating Island Pilot Project
Project Recipient: Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
Environment Canada Contribution: $100,000
Description: The Bow River Phosphorus Management Plan (BRPMP) seeks to reduce phosphorus per capita from mechanical wastewater treatment plants and lagoons. This project will support the installation and testing of the BioHaven® Floating Treatment Wetland in pilot lagoons within the watershed. If expected results are achieved, levels of phosphorus in wastewater effluent being discharged to the Bow River will be greatly reduced.
Project Name: Riparian Health Improvements Through Grazing Management Improvements
Project Recipient: Cows and Fish (Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society)
Environment Canada Contribution: $78,900
Description: This project aims to improve the grazing management practices of cattle producers in the Oldman River and Battle River watersheds. The project is a mix of educational and stewardship activities, designed to increase knowledge, while developing detailed grazing management plans and implementation strategies. Riparian health assessments will be used to identify issues and determine the solutions required. The installation of exclusion fencing, alternative watering systems and the planting of native trees and shrubs are among the Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) to be implemented.
Project Name: Moose Jaw River Integrated Excessive Water Management Plan
Project Recipient: Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $45,000
Description: This project will implement beneficial management practices (BMPs) such as buffer strips, alternative water systems and livestock exclusion fencing. Six projects will be showcased through stakeholder meetings and newsletters as examples for local producers. Hydrology reports will be developed for approximately five sub watersheds and consultations with stakeholders will be conducted in order to develop an Excessive Water Management Plan for the Moose Jaw River watershed.
Project Name: Promotion of Buffer Strips and Riparian Area Health Assessments for Agricultural Land within the Carrot River Watershed Area
Project Recipient: Carrot River Valley Watershed Association
Environment Canada Contribution: $4,000
Description: This project will deliver riparian area awareness workshops and educational materials to the residents of the Carrot River Watershed. Riparian Health Assessments will be utilized to identify areas that are stressed and determine solutions for problem areas within the watershed. Newsletters, brochures and workshops will be used to highlight the importance of riparian area health, riparian area health assessments and the usage of buffer strips.
Project Name: Turtle Mountain Conservation District Ecological Goods and Services Program – Phase 1
Project Recipient: Turtle Mountain Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $41,000
Description: Phase 1 of the Ecological Goods and Services Program will create an inventory of drains, wetlands (Class 2-5), and water storage areas that are present within the Elgin Creek-Whitewater Lake sub-watershed. A series of workshops will be held to assist with information gathering and to promote the Ecological Goods and Services Program concept. The information gathered in Phase 1 will be analyzed to determine the feasibility of moving forward with the Ecological Goods and Services program.
Project Name: Cattle and Creeks: Local Solutions Toward Basin Results
Project Recipient: Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: The primary objective of this project is to restrict the access of livestock along the tributaries of the Assiniboine River and as a result protect stream banks and improve water quality. Key elements of this project include the installation of riparian fencing and alternate watering systems, as well as the development of pasture management plans. Pre and post assessments of each project site will be completed and implementation plans will be developed to monitor progress.
Project Name: Reducing and Utilizing Nutrients in Tobacco Creek Model Watershed
Project Recipient: Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association
Environment Canada Contribution: $90,000
Description: This project will construct and evaluate a consolidated network of water retention structures throughout the Tobacco Creek Model Watershed. The structures will create, preserve and conserve a minimum of 30 acres of wetlands and are designed to retain nutrients and limit spring runoff to reduce downstream flooding. Modified and existing designs of small dams, retention ponds, wetlands and ditches will be evaluated for flood control, nutrient remediation and farmer acceptance.
Project Name: South Central Eco Institute
Project Recipient: South Central Eco Institute
Environment Canada Contribution: $27,000
Description: The South Central Eco Institute (SCEI) is a data collection program that provides students with the opportunity to work with Conservation District partners in the research and monitoring of a variety of phosphorus reduction and overall watershed improvement projects. SCEI represents a network of partnerships between the academic community, community development representatives, conservation districts and eco-environmental agencies. Each Spring and Fall, students and staff are provided with the training and equipment necessary to collect water quality data.
Project Name: Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Mercer Creek and Little Dog Lake Drain
Project Recipient: West Interlake Watershed Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $21,000
Description: This project will eliminate cattle access along various reaches of Mercer Creek and Little Dog Lake Drain in order to restore degraded riparian areas, improve water quality through the reduction of bacteria and nutrient inputs in the creek, rehabilitate priority aquatic habitat and create and restore important wildlife habitat. This project will be used as a demonstration and education site for future riparian management projects.
Project Name: Washow Peninsula and Fisher Bay Change Over Time Analysis
Project Recipient: Fisher River Cree Nation
Environment Canada Contribution: $50,000
Description: This project seeks to combine traditional knowledge with new technology to provide and inform land, water, wetlands and shoreline changes over time for Washow Peninsula, Fisher Bay and the mouth of the Fisher River. The project results will show the incremental changes over time for the identification of patterns that have led to nutrient loading in the area. Key elements of the project are land and water use interviews/surveys; cartographic data collection; water extent analysis; ground truthing and shoreline field work; and data analysis.
Project Name: Cattails for Clean Community Waterways: Urban Application of the Lake Winnipeg Bioeconomy Project
Project Recipient: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Environment Canada Contribution: $50,000
Description: This project will determine, within an urban setting, the economic and environmental benefits of removing wetland plants, such as cattails and other plant species, from City of Winnipeg ditches that would otherwise release nutrients into the environment. The main objective of this project is to evaluate potential phosphorus reductions in the City’s land drainage system and is expected to reduce 40-80 kg of phosphorus per year. These efforts are viewed as an opportunity to use the harvested plant biomass for bioenergy and biomaterials in order to reduce the amount of nutrients reaching Lake Winnipeg. This concept has been piloted in a rural setting in the Lake Winnipeg watershed.
Project Name: Nutrient, Wastewater Contaminant, and Toxicity Reduction Using Sub‑Surface Filtration Technology
Project Recipient: University of Winnipeg
Environment Canada Contribution: $135,000
Description: This project studies the effectiveness of sub-surface filter treatment technology and its ability to remove excess nutrients from effluent before its release into waterways. Currently operating on a pilot scale, this system has proved successful at removing excess phosphorus and nitrogen from the effluents of a municipal sewage lagoon prior to their release. The overall goal of this project is to understand and optimize the physical, chemical and ecological factors that control removal efficiency of nutrients and contaminants by the sub-surface filter treatment technology.
Project Name: Restoration of Netley-Libau Marsh: Evaluating the Feasibility and Benefits of Marsh Habitat Management Options for Nutrient Sequestration Enhancement
Project Recipient: Lake Winnipeg Foundation Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $20,000
Description: Specialists and stakeholders will be invited to take part in a process to evaluate restoration strategies for the Netley-Libau Marsh. The process features a two day, facilitated workshop to explore potential restoration strategies and formulate a science-based consensus on restoration options with the greatest potential of success. Netley-Libau Marsh, one of Canada’s largest coastal wetland covering 26,000 hectares, has undergone considerable biophysical changes that are contributing to the nutrient loading challenge facing Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Enhancing a Manitoba Watershed Using ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services)
Project Recipient: Delta Waterfowl Foundation
Environment Canada Contribution: $100,000
Description: Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) is a community-led, farmer‑delivered, incentive-based conservation program delivering ecological goods and services on private lands. The ALUS project seeks to restore, enhance, create and conserve wetlands, fence riparian areas, install off-site watering systems, restore buffer strips, convert marginal cropland to grasslands and plant shelterbelts. Total phosphorus reductions resulting from these projects are estimated at 1,775 kg/year.
Project Name: Manitoba Conservation Auction Initiative
Project Recipient: Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
Environment Canada Contribution: $100,000
Description: Conservation Auctions will be conducted throughout southern Manitoba to provide opportunities for landowners to conserve, enhance and restore priority wetlands and ecosystems. The auction is a voluntary process whereby landowners submit a proposal (or bid) to establish a Conservation Agreement or Beneficial Management Practice (BMP) Contract on their lands. BMPs offered will be specifically tailored in each auction location to address the local needs. Workshops will be conducted to provide additional information on the auction process.
Project Name: Pinewood River Watershed Restoration Project
Project Recipient: Rainy River District Stewardship Council
Environment Canada Contribution: $30,000
Description: Based on the Pinewood River Restoration Strategic Plan, this project will install 3300 m of cattle exclusion fencing and vegetative buffers as well as four alternative watering systems along the Pinewood River and its tributaries.
Round 6 (2013)
Project Name: Manitoba Wetland Restoration Project
Project Recipient: Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation
Environment Canada Contribution: $720,000
Description: To implement a landowner partnership program to restore 648 hectares of drained wetlands across three watersheds in southwestern Manitoba, and reduce phosphorus loads entering Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Pelly's Lake Watershed Management Area
Project Recipient: La Salle-Redboine Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $125,000
Description: To build water retention structures and protect wetlands and riverbanks to reduce spring runoff, and restrict phosphorus loading over 630 acres of land in the La Salle-Redboine area.
Project Name: Cattail and Novel Biomass: Nutrient Capture and Reclamation Turning a Waste/Pollution Stream into an Input for a Sustainable Manitoba Bio-Economy
Project Recipient: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Environment Canada Contribution: $155,000
Description: To demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of harvesting cattails to capture and reclaim phosphorus that would otherwise enter Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Establishment of Pilot Sites for Innovative Surface Water and Nutrient Management Initiatives on Farms
Project Recipient: Manitoba Conservation Districts Association
Environment Canada Contribution: $401,074
Description: To investigate various beneficial management practices for retaining and re-using runoff water to benefit agriculture, and prevent the release of nutrients downstream into Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Wetland Restoration (Two Year Program) in the Assiniboine River Watershed
Project Recipient: Assiniboine Watershed Stewardship Association Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $230,000
Description: To work with landowners in the Assiniboine Watershed to develop a monetary value for restoring previously drained wetlands. The goal is to restore up to 150 wetlands, over 61 hectares, with a total possible phosphorus load reduction of 1,215 kg per year.
Project Name: Pipestone Phosphorus Reduction Program: Implementation and Measuring Efficacy of Beneficial Management Practices
Project Recipient: Lower Souris Watershed Committee Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $138,000
Description: To educate local producers on beneficial management practices and reduce nutrients entering Lake Winnipeg by restoring 25 previously drained wetlands, and converting 700 acres of cropland to perennial forage in the Lower Souris Watershed.
Project Name: Niverville Lagoon System: The Investigation of Alternative Approaches for Bio-Remediation
Project Recipient: Town of Niverville
Environment Canada Contribution: $159,330
Description: To investigate and evaluate the feasibility of remediating biosolids (sludge) in decommissioned wastewater lagoons through in situ treatment using phyto- and bio-remediation methods.
Project Name: Successful Initiation of Wetland Restoration Landowner Incentive Program
Project Recipient: Upper Souris Watershed Association Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $87,000
Description: To restore up to 20 significant wetlands near the Souris River, and develop contracts with local landowners to ensure these areas are protected over the next 10 years.
Project Name: Earthen Dam for Water Storage and Erosion Control
Project Recipient: Swan Lake Watershed Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $53,000
Description: To oversee the construction of two earthen dams that will reduce nutrients entering Lake Winnipeg by retaining 800 hectares of overland surface water in the Swan Lake Watershed.
Project Name: Assiniboine Basin Municipal Point Source Assessment and Reduction Initiative
Project Recipient: Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $28,163
Description: To work with local government and community members to assess 32 wastewater sites, demonstrate methods to potentially divert overland surface water from entering Lake Winnipeg, and re-use this nutrient laden water for economic growth in the region.
Project Name: Whitemud Watershed Surface Water Storage Program
Project Recipient: Whitemud Watershed Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $30,000
Description: To construct three temporary water storage projects along the Whitemud River, thereby creating or enhancing up to 100 acres of previously drained wetlands.
Project Name: Lake Friendly Practices and Actions - Do What Matters
Project Recipient: South Basin Mayors and Reeves Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $210,000
Description: To work to improve water quality in Lake Winnipeg by building public awareness and encourage lake friendly behaviour that will enhance environmental, economic, and societal health within the Lake Winnipeg Watershed.
Project Name: Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre Model Shoreline
Project Recipient: Lake of the Woods Development Commission
Environment Canada Contribution: $24,636
Description: To construct a 265 meter interactive shoreline that will educate and empower the public to prevent the negative impacts of nutrient loading by making informed consumer choices and taking positive individual actions to reduce nutrients entering the Lake of the Woods.
Project Name: Development of a Risk Indicator to Identify Soils Prone to Phosphorus Release under Prolonged Flooding
Project Recipient: University of Winnipeg (Dr. Kumaragamage)
Environment Canada Contribution: $109,200
Description: To identify risk indicators for soils that are prone to releasing large quantities of phosphorus to surface runoff water entering Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba’s Interlake and Red River Basin.
Project Name: Development of a Simulation Tool to Identify Priority Areas for Wetland Conservation and Restoration
Project Recipient: University of Manitoba (Dr. Ali)
Environment Canada Contribution: $53,475
Description: To develop a simulation tool that will allow researchers to examine and measure the potential positive impacts of various methods to restore and conserve wetlands across various landscapes, and determine priority areas for future restoration activities.
Project Name: Management of Sediments in Surface Waterways to Reduce Phosphorus Loading in Lake Winnipeg
Project Recipient: University of Manitoba (Dr. Lobb)
Environment Canada Contribution: $38,143
Description: To identify areas of high nutrient concentrations within the Red River Basin and Winnipeg River Basin, and provide the recommendations for management practices that will help prevent and reduce nutrients entering these tributaries of Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Designing and Managing Riparian Areas to Filter Phosphorus and Sediment
Project Recipient: University of Northern British Columbia
Environment Canada Contribution: $147,500
Description: To enhance the understanding of how phosphorus and other agricultural sediments filter into waterways, and work with land owners to develop riverbank buffer zones that prevent nutrient runoff.
Project Name: Quantification of the Internal Phosphorus Load in Lake Winnipeg to Improve Phosphorus Budgets
Project Recipient: Freshwater Research
Environment Canada Contribution: $28,000
Description: To examine how phosphorus within Lake Winnipeg itself can be measured and assessed to assist with decisions concerning future nutrient management.
Round 5 (2010)
Project Name: The Forks Riparian Preserve
Project Recipient: Forks Renewal Corporation
Environment Canada Contribution: $40,000
Description: To restore a riverbank habitat on approximately two acres along the banks of the Assiniboine River at the Forks Historic site in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Project Name: Pembina and Long River Riparian Enhancement Program
Project Recipient: Turtle Mountain Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $20,000
Description: To encourage land managers along Manitoba’s Pembina River and Long River to implement agricultural practices that benefitted water quality and improved local riverbank integrity, through restrictive cattle fencing and the re-establishment of riverbank vegetation as a “buffer” zone to prevent erosion.
Project Name: Peguis First Nation Sustainable Cattle Management Project
Project Recipient: Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER)
Environment Canada Contribution: $15,000
Description: To improve water quality in the Peguis First Nation, by creating a new management system designed to more effectively spread cattle manure. CIER also helped the producer to reconstruct farm operations with techniques such as cattle rotation, restrictive fencing and other beneficial agricultural management practices.
Project Name: Innovative Process for Enhanced Phosphorus Recovery from Sludge
Project Recipient: University of Manitoba (Dr. Jan Oleszkiewicz)
Environment Canada Contribution: $26,000
Description: To complete new research on the potential use of water treatment reactors to recover phosphorus from wastewater sludge.
Project Name: Riparian Enhancement Initiative
Project Recipient: Whitemud Watershed Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $20,000
Description: To enhance the health, longevity, and effectiveness of riverbank buffer zones along the Whitemud River. To constructe restrictive fencing to keep cattle from damaging the riverbank and polluting the water, re-establishing riverbank buffer zones with natural materials and native plants
Project Name: Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping of Foreshore Areas of Lake Winnipeg’s South Basin
Project Recipient: Lake Winnipeg Foundation
Environment Canada Contribution: $107,450
Description: To gather aerial photos and field research on ecosystems along the south basin of Lake Winnipeg’s foreshore and provided tools to make sustainable shoreline use decisions.
Project Name: Effective Use of Riparian Zones to Filter Sediments and Phosphorus
Project Recipient: University of Manitoba (Dr. David A. Lobb)
Environment Canada Contribution: $99,600
Description: To complete a comprehensive study on the use of riparian areas as filters for sediment and phosphorus that enter waterways from agricultural land that will help determine the future use of riverbank areas in preventing nutrients from entering Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Nutrient Reduction on Continuous Cropped Erodible Soils
Project Recipient: Swan Lake Watershed Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: To work with land owners in southwest Manitoba to prevent topsoil loss and the negative impacts it has on groundwater quality. To construct flow-reduction waterways that are re-establishing natural vegetated areas in cropland that is vulnerable to erosion and soil loss.
Project Name: Wetland Restoration Preservation Initiative
Project Recipient: East Interlake Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $26,000
Description: To work with landowners in locations at risk of wetland loss to encourage the establishment of conservation agreements with EICD and the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.
Round 4 (2010)
Project Name: Establishing a Process for a Wetland Vegetation Rehabilitation and Management program focused on Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea): A Parkland Mews Case Study
Project Recipient: The University of Manitoba
Environment Canada Contribution: $13,000
Description: To complete a study that reduced knowledge gaps in the control of the invasive species, Reed Canarygrass.
Project Name: Beaver Creek Water Retention Project
Project Recipient: Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $4,000
Description: To work with partners to create a dam that will reduce local seasonal flooding and nutrient runoff in the Beaver Creek watershed.
Project Name: Sustainable Nutrient Removal and Recovery from Wastewater
Project Recipient: The University of Manitoba
Environment Canada Contribution: $36,000
Description: To develop a method for treating municipal wastewater through an innovative biological process that reduces nutrient loads to Lake Winnipeg while allowing for the recovery of phosphorus.
Project Name: Nutrient Reduction and Habitat Rehabilitation Project
Project Recipient: West Interlake Watershed Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $12,500
Description: To improve local water quality by eliminating cattle access along three creeks through the installation of exclusion fencing, off-site watering systems and cattle crossings, and restoring riverbank vegetation areas.
Project Name: Enhanced Removal of Nutrients, Organic Micropollutants and Toxicity from Sewage Lagoons and Waters of Morden and Winkler by Manipulative Constructed Wetland Microcosms
Project Recipient: The University of Winnipeg
Environment Canada Contribution: $148,760
Description: To complete research on the benefits of using constructed wetlands to remove nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen and other toxic substances from rural waste waters.
Project Name: Prevent Livestock Nutrient Runoff into the Souris River
Project Recipient: Assiniboine Hills Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $12,300
Description: To set up fencing and alternative wintering sites for cattle as well as portable wind breaks and swath grazing along the Souris River, to reduce the loading of phosphorus and nitrogen into this tributary of Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Lake of the Woods Water Quality Improvement Program
Project Recipient: Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council Inc
Environment Canada Contribution: $12,050
Description: To identify and prevent sources of nutrient runoff to the Lake of the Woods, and to educate the local community on how residents can help to improve local water quality.
Project Name: Assessing the Relationship between Internal Ferrous Iron Loading and Cyanobacteria Bloom Formation in Lake Winnipeg
Project Recipient: Faculty of Environmental Studies – York University
Environment Canada Contribution: $24,800
Description: To complete research on how loading rates and quantities of internal ferrous iron and other sediments can help predict the formation of cyanobacterial algae blooms within Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Dog River Constructed Wetland Lagoon System
Project Recipient: Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: To create a wetland lagoon system that is helping to restore native plant communities and provide a healthier aquatic ecosystem downstream.
Round 3 (2009)
Project Name: Down the Drain - A Demonstration Landscape; Using Plants and Natural Systems to Clean Our Water
Project Recipient: Rivers West Red River Corridor Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $46,014
Description: To Design and construct a “rain garden” or bioretention system that filters storm runoff using landscaping similar to that found in forest ecosystems.
Project Name: Pembina River Watershed – Integrated Watershed Management Plan
Project Recipient: Pembina Valley Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: To engage landowners near Rock Lake and Killarney Lake to reduce nutrient loads and shoreline erosion by restricting cattle access to waterways leading into Lake Winnipeg.
Project Name: Lake Friendly Campaign
Project Recipient: Lake Winnipeg South Basin Mayors and Reeves
Environment Canada Contribution: $241,520
Description: To reduce nutrient contributions to Lake Winnipeg by informing and educating consumers about products that are the best environmental choice.
Project Name: Nutrient Management through Livestock Management
Project Recipient: Assiniboine Hills Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $22,500
Description: To develop three riverbank management sites that are reducing nutrient flows to Lake Winnipeg through: the construction of fencing to restrict livestock creek access and alternative watering and overwintering sites located away from the riverbank.
Project Name: Lake Wahtopanah Nutrient Reduction Project
Project Recipient: Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: To reduce phosphorus loads to Lake Winnipeg by identifying and restoring primary shoreline areas along Lake Wahtopanah.
Project Name: Upper Oak River Non-Point Source Nutrient Reduction Project
Project Recipient: Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: To reduce phosphorus loads to Lake Winnipeg by identifying and restoring primary shoreline areas along the Upper Oak River sub-watershed.
Project Name: Thunder and Silver Creeks Surface Water Management Project
Project Recipient: Birdtail Assiniboine Water Planning Authority
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: To work with local landowners to select priority restoration areas along Thunder Creek and Silver Creek. Their efforts are limiting nutrient loads and reducing the impacts of local flooding.
Project Name: Paleolimnological Determination of Water Quality Change in Lake Winnipeg for Use as Management and Remediation Goals
Project Recipient: Dr. Peter Leavitt, University of Regina
Environment Canada Contribution: $126,162.50
Description: Seven researchers from four universities collaborated to create a long-term record of historical water quality changes within the north basin of Lake Winnipeg and set ecologically-relevant goals for nutrient reduction and the future management and protection of Lake Winnipeg.
Round 2 (2009)
Project Name: The Sustainability of Municipal Wastewater Irrigation in the Interlake Region of Manitoba as a Means of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Abatement for Lake Winnipeg
Project Recipient: East Interlake Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $6,257
Description: Wastewater irrigation, as an alternative to discharging wastewater directly to waterways leading to Lake Winnipeg, was assessed. The project involved three short-term field demonstrations of wastewater irrigation, municipal/town council focus groups on wastewater irrigation and a local resident survey to assess perceptions on wastewater re-use within their communities.
Project Name: Morden’s Community Lead Environmental Action on Nutrient Elimination and Removal (CLEANER) in Dead Horse Creek
Project Recipient: University of Winnipeg
Environment Canada Contribution: $109,372
Description: This extensive water sampling program is to identify and monitor sources of phosphorous and nitrogen along Dead Horse Creek, Plum River and the Red River near Morden. Students encouraged Morden-area residents to deposit less phosphorous and nitrogen in the town’s storm and sanitary wastewater systems.
Project Name: Moose Mountain Creek Phosphorous Reduction Project
Project Recipient: Cornerstone Regional Economic Development Authority
Environment Canada Contribution: $37,250
Description: To promote beneficial management practices (BMPs) that reduce agricultural phosphorous loads and improve water quality. Stewardship agreements engaged landowners to convert cropland to perennial forage, restore wetlands and improve both winter site and riparian zone management. BMPs were promoted across the watershed through outreach activities.
Round 1 (2008)
Project Name: Achieving Successful Wetland Restoration in the Assiniboine River Watershed
Project Recipient: Assiniboine Watershed Stewardship Association Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $139,400
Description: Source water quality in the Assiniboine River and its tributaries was improved through the restoration of wetlands. Lake Winnipeg will benefit from better downstream water quality.
Project Name: Advancing Netley-Libau Marsh Restoration Efforts
Project Recipient: International Institute for Sustainable Development
Environment Canada Contribution: $44,000
Description: This project promoted the nutrient reduction benefits of marshland restoration to community stakeholders. This project was an expansion on the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Netley-Libau Marsh Research.
Project Name: Building Capacity for Ecological Infrastructure Investments in the Red River Basin
Project Recipient: Red River Basin Commission
Environment Canada Contribution: $55,000
Description: Canadian municipalities and counties in the U.S. discussed costs and benefits of restoring natural environments to improve inter-jurisdictional water quality.
Project Name: Development of a Model/Experimental Watershed Representative of the Manitoba Prairie Pothole Region
Project Recipient: Ducks Unlimited Canada
Environment Canada Contribution: $391,464
Description: Ducks Unlimited and partners established a watershed monitoring network and water quality modeling that will be used to determine how changes in land use affect water quality.
Project Name: Development of a Preliminary Total Phosphorus Budget and Water Quality Modeling for Lake of the Woods
Project Recipient: Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation
Environment Canada Contribution: $135,254
Description: A phosphorous budget and water quality modeling were developed to assist decision-making for phosphorous management in the Lake and its watershed.
Project Name: Icelandic River and Washow Bay Creek Non-Point Source Nutrient Abatement Program
Project Recipient: East Interlake Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: Agricultural nutrient runoff was reduced to the Icelandic River and Washow Bay Creek through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones.
Project Name: Meewasin Valley Authority Riparian Restoration
Project Recipient: Meewasin Valley Authority
Environment Canada Contribution: $21,608
Description: Water quality in the South Saskatchewan River and Lake Winnipeg was improved by restoring natural vegetation to damaged shore lands and by educating the public on the importance of riparian zones in river ecology.
Project Name: Modeling Water Quality in the South Basin of Lake Manitoba
Project Recipient: University of Manitoba
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: This project provided a basis for evaluating nitrogen and phosphorous reduction efforts.
Project Name: Qu’Appelle River Water Quality Mitigation Project
Project Recipient: Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $4,300
Description: Agricultural nutrient runoff has been reduced to a seasonal oxbow lake in the Upper Assiniboine River through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones
Project Name: Seine River Riparian Enhancement Program
Project Recipient: Seine-Rat River Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: Agricultural nutrient runoff to the Seine River has been reduced through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones.
Project Name: Souris River Riparian Enhancement Program
Project Recipient: Turtle Mountain Conservation District
Environment Canada Contribution: $25,000
Description: Agricultural nutrient runoff to the Souris River has been reduced through the use of fencing, alternate watering sources for cattle and riverbank vegetation zones.
Project Name: Wastewater Pond Systems in Cold Climates
Project Recipient: Spectrum Scientific Inc.
Environment Canada Contribution: $132,767
Description: A wastewater pond system was adapted to Manitoba’s climate using a modified greenhouse structure.
