Our Water Quality

Our government created Canada’s first Department of Water Stewardship to consolidate water resources and services and introduced a first of its kind Water Protection Act in 2004.

Safer Drinking Water

• We’ve added 15 more staff to monitor drinking water safety since 1999, and are investing 450% more in drinking water budget than the previous government did in the 1990s.



• Our Drinking Water Safety Act establishes tough new standards for drinking water quality, all drinking water plant operators in Manitoba must now be certified, and we reinstated a subsidy for well water testing.

Healthier Lakes and Rivers

• Our Water Protection Act, the most comprehensive legislation in Canada to provide legal protection for water quality “at source,” regulates the distribution of nutrients and encourages responsible nutrient management planning to help reduce the growth of algae in our lakes and rivers.



• We have brought in new water protection areas to protect our water and sensitive lands from excess nutrient loading from farms, golf courses, lawn and garden fertilizers and even municipal sludge from wastewater treatment systems. Nutrient limits are being incorporated into all new municipal sewage treatment licences and we expanded a ban on winter spreading. These initiatives result in fewer algae growing nutrients ending up in Manitoba’s lakes and rivers.



• The Doer government established the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board to help Manitobans identify further necessary action to reduce nutrients to pre-1970 levels in the lake, amounting to a 10 per cent reduction.



• Our government has put nutrient limits on effluents from waste-water treatment facilities in Brandon and Winnipeg, and has contributed to the upgrade of water infrastructure in more than 100 Manitoba communities.



• At the NDP’s request, the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) conducted a full, independent and public review of the environmental sustainability of the hog industry. Following that review and based on the advice from the CEC, we have announced three new regional moratoriums to protect marginal and sensitive lands and deal with the highly developed saturated areas.



• Manitoba has invested millions for new and ongoing research in and around Lake Winnipeg including support for the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium through funding of the research ship, Namao.



• We committed $2.5 million in Budget 2007 to help farmers begin to adapt their operations to comply with new water protection regulations.



• In 2004 Manitoba led the way in getting an agreement with Minnesota and North Dakota to reduce nutrients flowing into the Red River and into Lake Winnipeg by 10 per cent



• We have aggressively fought the Devils Lake diversion in North Dakota to stop the artificial flow of foreign biota into Lake Winnipeg. We continue to press for an advanced filtration system and stronger environmental standards for the Devils Lake outlet that will prevent invasive species of water life and pollutants from spilling into the Red River.

Conserving Our Valuable Water Resources

• The NDP has legislated a ban on all bulk water exports.

Moving Forward

• We’re introducing a water conservation programme to help Manitobans save money on their water bills while conserving our water resources.



• We’ve legislated made-in-Manitoba restrictions on dishwasher detergents containing phosphorus while pushing for a national ban.



• We are moving forward with restrictions on spreading of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus.

Figures current as of October, 2008

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