MP Vic Toews has announced $159,330 in funding from the Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund for a new environmental water quality project in Niverville, Manitoba. This announcement was made on behalf of Canada’s Environment Minister, the Honourable Peter Kent.
The Government of Canada’s Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund supports community stewardship actions that improve water quality and measurably reduce nutrient loading that creates algal blooms.
“Improving water quality and reducing nutrient loading at the community level contributes to the efforts our government is taking to clean up Lake Winnipeg,” said Minister Toews. “We are proud to support exciting new environmental initiatives such as this project in Niverville.”
“We’re entering a new reality where people realize that the environment and the economics don’t need to be in conflict,” said Niverville Mayor Greg Fehr. “If you can find ways to protect the environment and save money, it’s just good business. I believe that this project will become a lasting legacy.”
With the funding provided, the Town of Niverville will carry out a multi-year project that will investigate the feasibility of remediating biosolids (sludge) in the decommissioned wastewater lagoon through in situ treatment using phyto- and bio-remediation methods, under both aerobic (native grasslands) and anerobic (wetland plants) processes. A positive outcome from this project will have broad applications for other municipal governments across Manitoba and Canada.
The Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund is part of Environment Canada’s Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative (LWBI), which was renewed in 2012 to continue federal efforts to help clean up Lake Winnipeg. Over the first (2007-2012) and second phases (2012-2017) of the LWBI, the Government of Canada has invested a total of $36 million in community stewardship projects, scientific research and monitoring, and transboundary management efforts to improve water quality in Lake Winnipeg.
