On March 22, the federal government announced it would develop such a strategy, calling it “an opportunity to discuss how we can address freshwater-related threats and opportunities,” protect freshwater ecosystems, and secure water for communities and the economy, according to a news release.

The Canada Water Agency, which was repurposed in 2024 as a stand-alone freshwater management agency separate from Environment and Climate Change Canada, will spearhead the strategy’s development.

While the announcement was scant on details of what such a strategy might look like, it said the agency will work with provinces and territories, First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners, “stakeholders across sectors” and the public.

Farmers should be among those consulted, the CFA said in a statement to Glacier FarmMedia.

“Water security is absolutely critical for the future of Canadian farmers. Farmers in different regions of Canada have been devastated by water issues over the past few years, such as the floods in B.C., or the ongoing long-term drought in the Prairie provinces,” a federation spokesperson said.

“A lack of water has severe negative impacts on any type of farm, no matter what they grow or raise.”

Prioritizing food security, agriculture

The strategy should protect farmers and mitigate the effects of water-related events. It should also secure predictable access to water so farmers can maintain food production — for example, through effective water management policies and investment in water infrastructure, CFA said.

“Farmers need to make it clear that food security and agriculture production should be prioritized if there was any issues with access to water.”

“Farmers are also on the front-line of climate change, dealing with the on-ground realities of water-related events,” CFA added. “They have experience and knowledge that will be critical in developing this strategy.”

While the announcement made no specific mention of the agriculture industry, the sector will have an opportunity to share its views during the public engagement process, “recognizing that freshwater is fundamental to our economy, powering industries, agriculture, and the growth of communities,” a federal spokesperson told Glacier FarmMedia.

The federal government has not yet set timelines for consultations, but said those will be announced “in the coming months.”

The post Get farmers in on federal water security strategy planning, CFA says appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Water cleanliness should be a top priority for producers when considering water quality for spray operations, according to provincial weeds specialist Kim Brown.

Water contaminants can tie up active ingredients in herbicides, rendering them ineffective.

“If you’ve got dirty water, (substances in there) will actually antagonize or will tie up glyphosate and diquat and they will not work at all,” she said.

Glyphosate and diquat can also be weakened if bound to soil particles from dusty leaves.

Why it matters: Farmers pay a lot for herbicides but they’re likely not getting their money’s worth if there’s no clean water in the mix.

Dirty water on the farm must be filtered, Brown said. She suggested a test for water cleanliness by filling a five-gallon pail. The bottom of the pail should be visible.

Mud and organic matter are also only part of the picture. There are also chemical issues to deal with, like concentrations of mineral ions and salts.

Water qualities such as hardness, presence of bicarbonates, iron and manganese all play a role in herbicide efficacy. The latter two are a particular note in irrigation, because oxidation can lead to formation of precipitates that can plug screens and nozzles.

“This is something that cannot be corrected with additives. This is something where, if you do have high iron and high manganese source(s) in water, then you need to try to find an alternative water source for spraying,” Brown said.

In water test results, total dissolved solids represents all the calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulphate, chloride and bicarbonate found in water. The first three are cations, which have a positive charge. The latter three are anions with a negative charge.

“These are basically the problem ions that cause issues when we’re spraying,” Brown said.

Water tests also show pH levels. There’s little information on how extreme pH levels affect herbicides, Brown noted, but readings of six to eight generally indicate good water. Too far outside that range, and producers should look elsewhere to fill their tanks.

Salinity is sometimes included on water tests. It can serve as a substitute for a total dissolved solids reading and is easier and cheaper to measure at a lab, Brown said. If the electrical conductivity numbers used to measure salinity are less than 500 in the test results, there likely won’t be enough to negatively affect on pesticides.

Challenges with hard water boil down to high levels of calcium and magnesium. Most water tests report this in terms of calcium carbonate (CACO₃) equivalent. Ions such as iron, potassium and nitrate could also be present, but are less significant.

“They do have a contribution to water hardness, but the big players are calcium and magnesium,” Brown said.

Weak acid herbicides like glyphosate and amine formulations of 2,4-D are among chemistries in the crosshairs when water is too hard. Water hardness above 250-230 parts per million (ppm) CACO₃ equivalent should be treated.

Bicarbonates are usually associated with high sodium in water. They’re a problem for chemistries like 2,4-D amine, tralkoxydim, sethoxydim and clethodim. Water with levels above 500 ppm should be treated.

Data from Saskatchewan Agriculture Water Quality and Herbicides suggests that water hardness must be under 350 ppm CACO₃ equivalent if using a low glyphosate rate on annual grass weeds. Between 350 and 700 ppm, water volume should be reduced.

“Basically, you want less of that water and more of the glyphosate in the mix, because that means there’s less of these cations, less of the calcium and magnesium that’s going to tie up the glyphosate,” Brown said.

Increasing the glyphosate concentration has downsides. Good spray coverage is critical for weed control results, especially when glyphosate is mixed with burnoff products.

“A lot of that is (from) water volume, so the only reason you would need to be dropping the water volume back is if you’ve got hard water and you’re not treating it,” Brown said.

If producers have hard water and want to use 2,4-D, she suggested they either find a better-quality water source or use an ester formulation. With the amine formulation, farmers should use the highest recommended rate and possibly a non-ionic surfactant at a rate of one gallon per 1,000 gallons.

To mitigate the effects of hard water, Manitoba’s crop protection guide suggests reducing water volumes in the tank and adding ammonium sulphate at 2.4 litres per acre. If the water is extremely hard, seek another source.

The post Is dirty water sabotaging your herbicide efficacy? appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

While some may have nostalgia for the old farm with a little red barn that housed a few chickens, a couple of pigs and a dairy cow, it is better for both the environment and the economy that agriculture has modernized.

Today’s farmer has taken, and is taking, key steps to protect our natural resources while maintaining economic sustainability. Farmers are a critical part of creating the solutions to today’s environmental challenges while fostering economic growth and job development.

Being part of the environmental solution includes resolving the algae problem in Lake Winnipeg.

People across the country are concerned about the health of the lake. Nutrients are fertilizing algae blooms that consume oxygen in the water, which in turn harm fish populations and other natural life in the lake. Algae-covered beaches limit everyone’s enjoyment of the lake and harm businesses that rely on Manitoba’s short tourist season.

There have been countless studies and action plans, but solving this complex problem remains elusive.

• Letters: Stronger actions needed on Lake Winnipeg
• Related: ALUS and corporate partners launch Lake Winnipeg project

Some have pointed fingers at Manitoba’s farmers as contributing to problems at Lake Winnipeg. This ignores the significant strides that agriculture has taken to ensure the right nutrients are put in the right place and at the right time to maximize crop growth and limit nutrient runoff.

Gone are the days of the little red barn where manure was spread on the field surface without knowing its nutrient content or what that crop needed in terms of added nutrients. Modernization of agriculture has revolutionized nutrient management.

Take today’s hog operations in Manitoba as an example. Before applying manure, farmers are required to file manure management plans with the provincial government. These plans are tailored to the specific crop being grown and include soil sampling to prevent over-application of nutrients.

More than 90 per cent of hog manure in Manitoba is injected below the soil surface or incorporated into the soil immediately after application to prevent runoff and to position this valuable nutrient next to the seed where it is needed. Before application, the manure is sampled to get an accurate understanding of its nutrient content.

Advances in technology are making manure application more precise. Modern equipment can test the flow as it is being applied using near infrared technology and vary rates on a real-time basis. Farmers use global positioning technology, ultrasonic speed sensors and radar to ensure that manure is applied in the right place and at the right rate.

The technology allowing farmers to maximize the benefits of this natural fertilizer also helps minimize nutrient leaching into waterways, including Lake Winnipeg. Similar advances in precision farming allow those who use synthetic fertilizers to apply plant nutrition in a way that maximizes its value.

Modern agriculture uses plant nutrition more precisely and efficiently while reducing the potential for negative environmental impacts and producing more food for consumers in Canada and around the world.

This is what being part of the solution means to Manitoba’s farmers.

Being part of the solution can also mean taking action beyond the farm. Farmers are prepared to do this and are ready to participate in a broad effort to develop solutions to the challenges facing Lake Winnipeg.

As a first step, we need to bring together expertise from all parts of the Lake Winnipeg basin – call this the Lake Winnipeg Task Group. This group, which can be called together by the Province of Manitoba, should include representatives from livestock agriculture, grain and oilseed farmers, First Nations and Manitoba municipalities, including the City of Winnipeg. It should also include third-party scientific expertise to steer the discussions.

The task group should be given a mandate to outline science-based measures designed to reduce nutrient flow into the lake.

Some potential action items have already been discussed, such as rehabilitating marshes that filter incoming water, ensuring untreated sewage does not flow into the Red River and increasing the understanding of the “right source, right place, right rate and right time” principles for nutrient application in agriculture.

The task group should be charged with presenting ways to break down barriers to adoption of these known solutions, as well as new ideas to keep Lake Winnipeg healthy.

Finally, the task group should be forward looking and action oriented, rather than a body that rehashes the finger pointing of the past.

– Cam Dahl is the general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council.

The post Opinion: Agriculture is part of the solution for Lake Winnipeg appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Other Canadians are also bracing for or are already experiencing extreme flood conditions.

In the lead-up to the federal government’s 2024 budget, there was hope for investments in water management and water-related infrastructure to help address some of these issues. However, as we examine the 2024 budget — with a particular focus on the key issues of drought, floods and water supply — we found that most of these hopes have been misplaced.

Fires and droughts

The budget is light on both details and critical infrastructure investments regarding management of fires and droughts. Some provinces are attempting to address the issues, but there’s a lack of consensus on the validity of their approaches.

Large-scale water management infrastructure is vitally important in Western Canada, but there is no commitment to evaluating or building any of these types of systems within the 2024 budget.

Given the recurring jurisdictional spats between Ottawa and the provinces over water management issues, this lack of commitment to large-scale infrastructure is perhaps unsurprising. That doesn’t make it any less disappointing.

The 2024 budget also failed to invest in critical flood control and resiliency infrastructure for communities that are frequently exposed to seasonal flooding. It did propose almost $7 million over five years for the Meteorological Service of Canada’s early warning system for extreme weather events, with a focus on floods and storm surges.

These are important investments. The costs of weather and climate-related damage are increasing significantly. It’s estimated that insured losses in Canada exceeded $3.1 billion in 2023.

Additionally, the initiation of a national flood insurance program to the tune of $15 million is a welcome investment. However, this type of policy approach doesn’t address the root causes that result in the occurrence of floods. It just focuses on paying for damages after floods have happened.

Ultimately, what is perhaps most striking about the issue of floods in the 2024 budget is how little attention they received and how much of it may be buried under housing-related budget measures.

Precedent

There have been investments in water in recent budgets. A year ago, during a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden, the Government of Canada announced such a measure tied to the 2023 budget. Canada committed $650 million over 10 years to protect the Fraser River, the Mackenzie River, Lake Winnipeg, Lake of the Woods, Lake Simcoe, the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.

Previous budgets have invested in water management through green infrastructure investments that have included the rehabilitation of storm-water systems and restoration of wetlands.

But sustained investments are needed to both protect and preserve water systems and adequately prepare communities for extreme weather events through improved resiliency.

In the end, this budget did little to address the concerns many Canadians have about climate-related impacts and water security.

To keep communities across the country safe, more investments into water-related infrastructure and — more importantly — ambitious policy development are critical to ensure the health and well-being of all Canadians.

There must be investments in sustainable water-use programs and timely water measurements. Canada also urgently requires a registry of water rights and standards for water accounting that inform transparent decision-making, similar to the National Water Initiative in Australia.

These investments are an essential step in allowing us to begin triaging the most important climate-related impacts to infrastructure before it’s too late.

The above being said, infrastructure alone won’t solve the complex issues of climate-related water management. Long-term water sustainability requires innovative policy approaches aimed at addressing inequity.

This includes a shift in how we approach water governance from a system of individual water ownership and licensing, as is the case in some provinces, to a more collective approach.

Substantial investments, alongside innovative policy discussions, perhaps guided by the new Canada Water Agency, are extremely important, but noticeably absent from the federal budget. This must change if we are to get serious about Canada’s long-term water security.

– Kerry Black is Assistant Professor Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary and David Barrett is a Laboratory Research Associate in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary.This article first appeared in the Conversation, by Reuters.

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The severe conditions have prompted Alberta to open water-sharing negotiations among license-holders for the first time in two decades, hoping to salvage output from two of its biggest industries.

Alberta, which relies on melting snow and precipitation for most of its water supply, has allocated water since 1894. That system prioritizes those who have held licenses the longest, although holders rarely exercise that right.

Alberta’s water talks underline the difficult compromises facing resource-rich regions adapting to extreme weather. Hydrologists say the future will bring Alberta more rain instead of snow due to climate change, which will strain summer water supplies.

The province produces most of Canada’s oil, natural gas and beef, plus big wheat and canola harvests, much of which it exports.

Irrigation to grow crops in dry areas accounts for 46 per cent of Alberta’s water allocation, with oil and gas using 10 per cent.

Reuters spoke with more than a dozen farm, energy and government officials and found those industries preparing for the drought to potentially scale back production and raise costs.

Drought could cause double-digit declines in Alberta’s wheat yields, based on crop production data from the past two decades. Oil producers are making costly contingency plans to store more water on site and truck water across the province.

Brad Deleeuw, who manages the 5,500-head Delta Cattle feedlot near Coaldale, Alberta, said the impact of water scarcity “could be huge.”

Deleeuw will prioritize watering cattle over irrigating his wheat, corn and barley, but that shift will likely reduce yields.

“You’d go from a black situation to a red situation pretty quick,” Deleeuw said, referring to financial losses.

If he must import significantly more expensive cattle feed this summer from the U.S. to make up for smaller Canadian crops, Deleeuw said he would have to reduce how many cattle Delta fattens for slaughter by Cargill and JBS.

Drought contributed to Canada’s beef herd shrinking this year to its smallest on record, according to Statistics Canada.

Snow water equivalent, which measures water content of mountain snowpack, was down 40 per cent as of March 5 from a year earlier in southern Alberta’s St. Mary River basin. The nearby Waterton basin was down 27 per cent, according to provincial and federal government data.

Crop hit

Some 70 per cent of Canada is abnormally dry or in drought, according to the government, with the driest conditions in Alberta and British Columbia.

Alberta’s largest-ever water-sharing talks could result in major consumers agreeing in early April to share water voluntarily with others downstream, environment ministry spokesperson Ryan Fournier said. If conditions remain dire, the province could declare an emergency and is working on a plan involving additional steps, Fournier said.

In 2001, the last time water-sharing negotiations happened, Alberta’s durum wheat yield was 22 bushels per acre, down 37 per cent from the previous five-year average, according to Statistics Canada. In dry 2021, spring wheat yield fell 35 per cent while barley yield dropped 36 per cent year-over-year. The vast majority of Alberta’s grain grows on dry land, not irrigated land.

Alex Ostrop, who farms near Lethbridge, is bracing to make do with much less water to irrigate fields. In 2001, his district’s water allocation was eight inches per acre or 38 per cent less than what Ostrop used last year.

“Commodity prices are down generally – (this year) would be a double whammy of lower commodity prices and reduced yields,” Ostrop said.

Costly crude

For oil companies, dry conditions may elevate costs by forcing them to shift drilling to sites with water access or to truck water, said Tristan Goodman, CEO of the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada. Companies will not drill if wells get too expensive, he said.

Oil producers are renting on-site water storage structures known as C-rings and other swimming pool-sized spaces, drilling company Trican Well Service said.

“You’re seeing customers start to really think about how they’re going to be managing water months in advance – they just haven’t had to worry about that before,” Trican CEO Bradley Fedora told analysts in February.

For now, parts of Alberta and British Columbia with the most conventional drilling and fracking have manageable water levels, Goodman said.

Drilled wells did not decline in the dry years 2001 and 2017, according to data from industry group Enserva.

Shell is putting water contingency plans in place for its Alberta wells, spokesperson Stephen Doolan told Reuters, declining to give details. Suncor Energy told analysts the drought has prompted it to plan a water-treatment plant in its oil sands operations for the end of this decade.

With Alberta possibly heading to a drier future, the province is spending C$933 million to expand irrigation. That means Alberta will spread limited water supply over 230,000 additional acres, but the upgrade will reduce evaporation by converting open canals to pipelines, Alberta Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson said.

Oil and gas producers are maximizing efforts to store and recycle water, with all eyes on the skies, said Ken Wagner, CEO of Fraction Energy Services, which rents water storage equipment.

“It’s definitely top of everybody’s mind. We need some more snow and we need big rain.”

The post Farmers, oil drillers in parched Alberta brace for water shortage appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The country’s water policies, management and research efforts are under-developed and uncoordinated, it said, which leaves water resources and challenges largely unaddressed.

That’s something a national plan should fix, says the report written by Tyler McCann, Angele Poirier and Nicolas Mesly.

“Water security underpins food security and national security and should be considered a strategic asset. Without adequate availability and quality of water, food production and export are impossible,” says the report, titled “A National Agri-Food Water Action Plan.”

“The greatest impact will be achieved when governments work together.”

Canada has no national water policy, despite numerous attempts to link water management approaches over the decades.

“Canada has a fragmented and siloed model for water management,” says the report.

The strategy calls for federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers to work together to develop a pan-Canadian policy that will address the fractured situation.

“Multiple stakeholders raised the non-uniformity in data collection, the need for more research, and expressed frustrations with duplication and fragmentation of funding for water-related initiatives,” says the report.

The authors believe the recently created Canada Water Agency can be used to bring together Canada’s various jurisdictions to develop a coordinated approach, with water management based upon watersheds.

A key concern is that few seem to consider the water and land that make Canada one of only seven countries that are substantial net exporters of food.

“The country … doesn’t think enough about protecting its water in terms of food management and production,” the report says.

Large amounts of agricultural land are being paved as urbanization grows, while water resources are compromised, CAPI argues. In the United States, aquifers and other water sources are being drained and potentially lost permanently.

That is an example that could be avoided with a proper national policy and strategy, the authors say.

Water is a unique and perplexing commodity. It is often unpriced, which tends to devalue it in many people’s minds. Yet it is the most crucial substance for food production and human life.

There is no shared sense of how to treat water on the most fundamental level.

“There is a whole debate about whether water is a right, a commodity or an essential or even sacred resource for the protection of life and biodiversity.”

That lack of clarity leaves farmers without a focus on developing Canada’s rare opportunity.

The paper supports calls to reward farmers for water protection work they perform using sustainable practices.

“The environmental services provided by farmers, including protecting water quality, should be quantified and remunerated.”

The report said availability of water can take agriculture and food much further.

“Water can be a strategic advantage for increasing food processing, providing competitive hydroelectricity rates, access to quality and quantity not available in other regions and an asset in their conservation and recycling programs.”

It calls for long-term research and development.

– This article was originally published at The Western Producer.

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Ads for new-crop and carryover forage are plentiful, said John MacGregor, forage expert with the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, and prices have been fairly steady throughout the summer.

Why it matters: Patchy rains translated to patchy first cuts, but Manitoba will generally come into winter better off than more drought-stricken regions of the Prairies.

Producers who expect to be short on feed should source other supplies sooner rather than later, MacGregor advised.

The MFGA’s September hay update set alfalfa prices at eight to 11 cents per pound — slightly up from August, when alfalfa was going for six to 10 cents. Dairy quality alfalfa was unchanged during the period, with both months posting 10 to 12-cent prices.

Good quality alfalfa-grass mix was selling for six to 7.5 cents per pound in September, with beef quality going for five to seven cents, similar to August numbers.

In the lower quality spectrum, beef hay was selling for 3.5 to seven cents a pound in September, down from six to 9.5 cents a month earlier.

Final feed harvest

As of Sept. 24, corn silage harvest was well underway and some areas were finished, according to the last Manitoba Agriculture crop report of the month. Yields ranged from 13 to 15 tonnes per acre.

Beef producers were still working on the second cut of grass hay, the province said, and were cutting slough hay in some areas. A second alfalfa cut is also available for some producers, with fields more than three weeks past the critical harvest date set at the start of September.

In past seasons, producers might be on their third cut by the post-critical harvest window.

Forage growth on hay and pasture was mostly finished by late September, though MacGregor noted recent rains could green up some fields.

Parts of the northwest region had light frost as of the last crop report, sparking concern about nitrate concentrations in standing silage and greenfeed. Producers are advised to test annual crops for nitrates before feeding.

Straw baling was under way for bedding and cattle feed, the provincial crop report said. MacGregor said more beef producers are relying on straw for feed.

They should also grab straw for bedding while it’s plentiful, said Carson Callum, general manager for Manitoba Beef Producers.

Weather roller-coaster

The open question is, how far afield will producers have to go for winter feed this year?

Echoing a common theme of the 2023 growing season, farmers’ hay supply has been “based on where the thunderstorms hit,” MacGregor said.

Provincial data shows few areas of Manitoba had a normal amount of rain, and most are sitting well below average.

As of Sept. 24, the central region ranged from 34 per cent of normal precipitation at Cartwright to 67 per cent at Emerson, which was one of only three stations across the province to rise above the 60 per cent mark.

Manitoba Agriculture data shows the Altona and Gretna areas got nearly 27 and 34 millimetres, respectively, from Sept. 18-24.

In the southwest, precipitation records swing between 47 per cent of normal at Alexander and Findlay to 85 per cent at Deloraine. The northwest ranged between 48 per cent of normal at Keld to 80 per cent at Ethelbert.

The Interlake, in a break from past seasons as the dry nucleus of the province, received 57 per cent of normal at Stonewall and Arborg and 102 per cent of normal at Fisherton. The latter number may be deceiving. Provincial meteorologist Timi Ojo said in early September that the Fisherton station received 134 mm in one day rather than slow, soaking rains that provide more benefit to crops.

Despite patches of positive outlook, some producers struggled with conditions bad enough to prompt a Manitoba Beef Producers’ request that the province consider an AgriRecovery assessment, similar to requests made by Saskatchewan and Alberta this year.

Aid is in the works for both western Prairie provinces. In late August, Saskatchewan pledged up to $70 million to support livestock producers and Alberta is said to be drafting details of a program.

Around the same time, the federal government released an initial list of areas in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba eligible for the livestock tax deferral, a program that allows producers to push a portion of taxable income from the sale of breeding stock to the following year. Nineteen Manitoba municipalities made that list.

MBP wants the Manitoba government to ask for a smaller portfolio of aid than the rest of the Prairies, but Callum said it appears the province doesn’t think it is warranted.

Unlike the drought year of 2021, producers generally have carryover feed, Callum said. However, many will fine-tune rations and stretch feed as long as possible. If there isn’t much snow to provide insulation over the winter, next year could be “even more worrisome,” he said.

Some producers are also concerned about water levels, Callum noted. Several have applied for funds through the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program and Sustainable Agriculture Manitoba program to improve dugouts or other water infrastructure.

They’re still waiting to hear if they’ll get that funding, said Callum, but the election may have delayed those decisions.

The post Hay prices, supply steady for now appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The province announced its initial water strategy action plan July 5. The 38-page document includes 72 actions and itemizes $990 million worth of funding over the next five years.

Why it matters: The document will impact programming across provincial departments of agriculture, environment and climate, infrastructure, municipal relations and consumer protection and government services.

The province has said the water strategy is the first such public policy in almost two decades.

“As a province home to 100,000 lakes, the actions outlined in the initial water strategy action plan will guide a strong path forward to protect our precious freshwater and way of life in Manitoba,” Manitoba Environment and Climate Minister Kevin Klein said in a July 5 release.

What’s in it

Agriculture features heavily in the document, although many action items relate to already announced programs.

The strategy document included new retention pond funding under RALP, the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program rolled out as part of the five-year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP) agreement between the federal government and provinces. That program targets on-farm practices and projects with an eye to grassland management and agroforestry.

Other ag highlights relate to S-CAP’s various streams for beneficial management funding, including wetland restoration for volatile weather resiliency, on-farm drainage, groundwater protection and enhancement, and other practices linked to ecological benefit.

In a release, Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson said the plan “allows agricultural producers to continue being good stewards of the land while playing an important role in Manitoba’s overall economy.”

Jill Verwey, president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers, noted the wide scope of the action plan that covers multiple government departments.

It’s important “to make sure we’re all at the table and discussing, going forward, different programs and how they affect other areas,” she said.

“We know and can provide information going forward as far as being sustainable and protecting the water, but then, on the same breath, knowing full well that we’re producing, and using water (to do that.)”

Verwey noted practices like irrigation efficiency or better use of tile drainage in combination with water retention.

“If those programs can assist farmers to become more profitable … I think then that lends to access or, at the end of the day, more money in farmers’ pockets to be reinvested in becoming more environmentally conscious and more sustainable in the future,” she said.

Infrastructure

The July 5 announcement highlighted $763.5 million for provincial water infrastructure, the bulk of which is slated for the Lake St. Martin drainage channel project. The province has promised $600 million for the long-delayed project through the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Multi-year Infrastructure Investment Strategy, a five-year, $4.1-billion plan covering investment into roads, highways, bridges and airports.

Funding that dovetails with the infrastructure strategy will see 214 water projects, including the replacement or repair of 20 control structures, seven pump stations, 11 dikes and 40 other structures, improvements on 104 culverts, three projects to enhance flood protection and 27 restoration projects stemming from flood damage.

The government also indicated:

• $4 million to bolster the Manitoba Water Services Board;
• $1.64 million for drinking water safety; and
• $1.47 million for Manitoba Environment and Climate to do its part in implementing the strategy.

That $1.47 million also includes $600,000 for Manitoba’s watershed districts.

Garry Wasylowski, chair of the Manitoba Association of Watersheds, said he isn’t yet sure how the action plan will impact members. The interplay of federal and provincial programs will require examination, he noted.

“There’s certainly funding, and that’s important to us,” he said. “I think we have the network that we’ve put together in the last year to deal with implementing some of these programs.”

One action item cites $300,000 for watershed districts responsible for waterway infrastructure.

That covers four watersheds that, in their former conservation district days, became responsible for water infrastructure in conjunction with the province. The Whitemud Watershed District and parts of the Inter-Mountain, Westlake and Northeast Red districts fall under that category.

“Over the last number of years, just with inflation and just the number of issues, that funding hasn’t caught up,” Wasylowski said.

Funding for infrastructure districts has been discussed between the association and the province.

“We haven’t heard definitely what that funding is going to be, but that was certainly great news to hear, that there is more funding for infrastructure districts in this water strategy,” Wasylowski said.

Natural infrastructure pilots, water quality monitoring, Indigenous collaboration, co-ordinated water management, water-use efficiency, invasive aquatic species management and other ecosystem health were also included in the strategy.

Wasylowski pointed to a number of Indigenous partnerships with watershed districts, including the Living Labs project with Swan Lake First Nation and the Pembina Valley Watershed District and various other integrated watershed management plans.

No First Nations are full members of their association, he said, although the door is open and he hopes to see formal relationships in the future.

‘Living document’

There is more to come on the water strategy, Manitobans have been told.

The province said the action plan will be regularly updated “to reflect work completed and to provide clarity on next steps and future initiatives.”

An advisory panel is also in the works.

For her part, Verwey said she’s happy the strategy has left room for adaptation.

“I like the idea of it being a living document where it has the ability to change as we go forward,” she said.

The post Water strategy action plan launched appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Advisory Forum was announced June 26 to “ensure a regionally diverse range of perspectives are incorporated into prevention and containment activities,” according to a government release.

The forum will be a platform to pass information between stakeholder groups and the province’s AIS program “as well as provide feedback and recommendations on preventing the introduction of AIS into Manitoba and containing the spread.”

Over 20 stakeholders had a say in the forum’s membership, according to the province.

The body has already started work. Its first meeting was held June 22.

Preventing invasive species spread is a “high priority,” Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt said in a release.

“We all have a role to play in stopping the spread of AIS, and this forum will bolster our ongoing co-operative work with stakeholders to protect the province’s waterways from species that harm the environment and the economy,” he said.

The forum’s launch was announced within weeks of two new roadside inspection stations opening in Westman. On June 9, the province announced stations would be set up near Minnedosa and Ste. Rose du Lac.

At the time, Nesbitt credited the additions to “growing zebra mussel and other AIS threats in western Manitoba.”

In early 2023, Parks Canada confirmed that zebra mussel DNA had been found at one test site in Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park last summer.

The national park service stressed that finding zebra mussel DNA was not the same as finding mussels themselves.

“It is possible that DNA came to Clear Lake on a boat or other source, but that no living mussel was transferred,” Parks Canada said.

Nevertheless, new rules were installed after the finding. Anyone wanting to put a trailered boat into Clear Lake in 2023 had to pass an AIS inspection by June 15 and will not be able to put their boat in any other water body this year.

The changes also included tighter inspections for anything else that goes in the water at Clear Lake, including paddle craft, beach toys, etc.

Zebra mussels have been in Lake Winnipeg for the last decade. Since then, they have been found in the Red River, Cedar Lake (north of Lake Winnipegosis), Assean Lake (north of Split Lake), parts of the Nelson River and Lake Manitoba.

The two new inspection stations join other such sites at Headingley, Selkirk, Eriksdale, The Pas, Wabowden and Grand Rapids. Anyone hauling any kind of boat (paddle craft included) is required to stop when encountering a station and can be fined $672 for failing to do so.

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The province has announced a four-month period in which water testing fees will be waived for owners who had flooded wells and cisterns. Free tests are only available through Winnipeg’s Horizon Lab Ltd., until Aug. 31.

Manitoba Environment and Climate Minister Kevin Klein made the announcement May 8.

“Our government is helping ease some of the financial burden for Manitobans affected by flooding by fully subsidizing water testing costs,” he said.

The province is also warning Manitobans not to drink from sources they believe to be contaminated, as floodwater may bring in bacteria or other harmful foreign matter.

Homeowners who suspect their well or cistern has been affected by flooding should boil drinking water before consumption, the province has said.

“Public health encourages everyone with a private water system that has been affected by flooding to test their water once flood waters recede to ensure their drinking water is safe during a season of elevated risk,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer. “Preventing the risk of waterborne disease is important and the province wants well and cistern owners to take steps to protect themselves.”

Homeowners may have a contamination problem if water suddenly has a different taste, odour or appearance, or if test results note an issue. Water pooling around a well head or collecting around other nearby wells should also be a red flag.

Shallow wells and aquifers are at greater risk for contamination, according to safety documents published by the Government of Manitoba. So are water sources where the overlying soil is sand or gravel, because those soils are more permeable to floodwater.

Any wells located in pits or depressions are at higher risk, as are water sources close to rivers or other waterways.

The same provincial safety materials warn that nearby barns or septic fields, old, unsealed wells and quarries also pose risks.

Well casings should be in good condition and extend 30 centimetres out of the ground.

Even if water sources are not impacted by flooding, the province advises all homeowners to test their water at least once a year.

Manitobans with questions about the sample collection process, shipping or test results should contact 204-488-2035. Information is also posted on the Government of Manitoba website.

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