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News- Page 2
Lake-cleanup plan panned
Posted by Jim on Friday, September 25, 2009 (18:03:57) (96 reads)
City's waste strategy not enough: province
By: Mary Agnes Welch
The city's original plan to clean up its waste water simply won't help heal Lake Winnipeg, and it's worth spending millions more to do it right, the province said Thursday."We haven't asked the city to do anything we're not willing to help pay for," said Conservation Minister Stan Struthers.
A case study on the so-called nitrogen versus phosphorus debate prepared by a city engineer suggests that it would cost Winnipeg taxpayers $750 million more over 20 years to remove both kinds of nutrients from sewage at the North End treatment plant.
If the city tackled only phosphorus, as a gaggle of scientists has recommended and as the city has long preferred to do, Winnipeggers could avoid sewer rate hikes and Lake Winnipeg might actually get cleaner faster, the city argued.
But the province says the city's figures and logic are flawed.
The $750 million, which covers mostly debt cost, is a highly questionable figure that doesn't appear to include the millions the province has already committed. And the new equipment the city wants to install simply isn't good enough to meet reasonable targets.
Only a two-step process called biological nutrient reduction will be guaranteed to remove enough ammonia and other nitrates. And, it allows the leftover phosphorus to be turned into fertilizer instead of dumped in the landfill at a time when phosphorus is a shrinking commodity.
Struthers said it's vital that Winnipeg has state-of-the-art treatment plants. Calgary has plans to meet the same or even tougher targets as Manitoba and Regina has just committed to adding nitrogen removal from its already-advanced plants.
The debate, which bloomed anew this week, is moot because the Clean Environment Commission has already recommended that the city go whole hog and remove both nitrogen and phosphorus from its waste water. And the work to do that is already well underway.
Last year, after pressure from scientists and city councillors, the NDP asked the CEC to have another look at the nutrient issue.
But this spring, the CEC reaffirmed its 2003 recommendation -- the one that has saddled the city with a $1.8-billion bill to upgrade the sewage plants and pipes. The city must spend millions removing both nitrogen and phosphorus from its waste water in order to combat damaging algae blooms on Lake Winnipeg.
"Excess reactive nitrogen in the environment contributes to eutrophication (oxygen depletion), loss of biodiversity, global warming, pollution of drinking water, fish kills, acid rain, and ozone depletion. There exists a strong scientific case for limiting the nitrogen load in City of Winnipeg waste water," wrote the CEC. "In our view to not do so would be irresponsible, leaving an unhealthy environmental legacy to our children and grandchildren."
Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/lake-cleanup-plan-panned-61437337.html
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Province to spend $1 million in effort to restore wetlands
Posted by Jim on Friday, September 25, 2009 (18:01:37) (115 reads)
By: Larry Kusch
Manitoba's two largest marshes are sick after a decades-long invasion from harmful fish and plant species and pollutants, but the province promised Thursday to take measures to turn things around.The Netley-Libau Marsh on Lake Winnipeg and the Delta Marsh on Lake Manitoba are the two largest in Canada.
Such wetlands act as natural filters, preventing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from entering Lake Winnipeg and others lakes. But in recent years, they've lost much of their effectiveness.
On Thursday, the province said it would spend $1 million to protect and restore Manitoba wetlands, especially the two large marshes.
Christine Melnick, the water stewardship minister, said the money would be used to provide incentives to farmers to restore lost wetlands, reduce damage to Delta Marsh caused by the common carp, and to develop new policies and other protection measures.
Melnick said studies have shown that by restoring Netley-Libau Marsh, nutrient loading in Lake Winnipeg could be reduced by as much as six per cent.
"Lake Winnipeg's Netley-Libau Marsh has declined in size, has lost many of its normal marsh plants, and sediment levels have increased significantly in the marsh waters," she told reporters Thursday.
"The restoration of Netley-Libau and Delta marshes recognizes the enormous value that wetlands have in biodiversity, retaining nutrients and for reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Melnick said.
Lake Manitoba's Delta Marsh suffers mainly from damage caused by the common carp, a species introduced from Europe by early settlers that destroys underwater plants critical to the marsh's function.
Gordon Goldsborough, a university professor and director of the U of M field station at Delta Marsh, welcomed the funding and the partnerships the province has formed with such groups as Ducks Unlimited, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada to carry out the wetlands rejuvenation work.
Goldsborough said he toured the Netley-Libau Marsh on Wednesday and was reminded of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring, which warned of a looming ecological disaster over the misuse of pesticides.
"Visitors to this marsh decades ago would have witnessed, at this time of year, vast numbers of ducks and geese, and yet I was struck by the fact that I saw and heard none," he said.
Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/province-to-spend-1-million-in-effort-to-restore-wetlands-61437467.html
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Fishing derby scores again
Posted by Jim on Thursday, September 17, 2009 (18:33:38) (113 reads)
Posted By Donna Delaurier
For the fifth straight year, a group of fishermen scored big time for Lac du Bonnet minor hockey.
The annual fishing derby in support of minor hockey was held last Saturday and attracted 140 fishers of all ages.
Lisa Thomas, fundraising chair for LdB minor hockey, said the favourable weather – about 23 C – was perfect for a day of fishing.
“There were a lot of happy kids out there with sunburnt faces,” Thomas said.
A total of 220 fish were caught on the day, and the top prize of a 14-foot aluminum Lund boat, Mercury motor and a trailer was won by Randy Hale.
Hale’s 31 cm walleye was pulled from the water at 10:43 a.m. and put him first in the hidden time and length competition.
The largest fish of the day was caught by Carl Nilsson, who hauled in a whopper – a 96 cm pike.
Thomas says the catch-and-release derby was run on the honour system and she was impressed with everyone’s honesty.
The event was held during Family Fun Fishing Weekend, so a fishing licence wasn’t required.
Thomas, who will step down as organizer once this year’s all wrapped up, says they raised about $2,500 for minor hockey.
She says they couldn’t have done it without the approximately 10 people who volunteered during the day, and the local businesses who supported them. And, she says, Lund’s contribution of the winning prize was great.
“It was a wonderful donation from Lund.”
And it was a perfect day for the kids, and adults, who got to spend the day fishing.
“The kids had a great time. It was just so much fun,” Thomas said.
Source: http://www.lacdubonnetleader.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1629828
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You got a licence to drive that boat?
Posted by Jim on Friday, September 11, 2009 (17:28:41) (559 reads)
Mandatory operator cards expected to increase safety on waterways
By: Geoff Kirbyson
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Bud Simmons says the new operator cards are long overdue.
Boating enthusiasts are optimistic the implementation of mandatory operator cards next week will make provincial waterways a safer place to be.
They also say it's about time because lakes and rivers throughout Manitoba have become increasingly treacherous as the number of inexperienced boaters continues to increase.
Effective next Tuesday, boaters without a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, or PCOC, will be hit with a fine of up to $250.
Melanie Orlowski, spokeswoman for Transport Canada, which oversees the country's waterways, said the card will be issued upon the completion of a safe boating course and a written exam. (Experienced boaters can avoid the course if they successfully complete the exam, which can be written online.)
"Safety is the driving reason behind this regulation. We want to reduce the number and severity of boating-related accidents and fatalities. We want to create a culture where safety is the norm on our waterways," she said, noting historically, there have been no licensing requirements to get behind the wheel of a boat.
Orlowski said RCMP, provincial police and Winnipeg police will enforce the regulation, which affects operators of motorboats, houseboats and personal watercraft.
"Anyone in a canoe is fine," she said.
Bud Simmons, a manager at Splash Dash Tours at The Forks, said the operator cards are long overdue because there are far too many drivers, particularly those at the helm of larger boats, that simply don't respect smaller craft.
"On a busy weekend you really have to watch out. When you pass a boat, you want to do it at a safe distance. The wake created behind the boat rocks you all over the place and can damage the boat," he said.
Simmons noted Splash Dash's booth has a megaphone, which gets used regularly to warn boaters to watch their speed as they zip in and out of the marina.
"We often get ignored or we're given the (middle finger) signal," he said. "Some people just don't understand what they're operating. All they know is they can haul six people on a tube."
Chris Van Bastelaere, who bought a 17-foot fishing boat last month, agrees. He said the mandatory operator cards are a "great" idea.
"I've been cruising up and down the river lately and there are buffoons out there. There are people driving on the wrong side of the river or they'll cut people off. They have no idea what to do when they see another boat," he said.
"I was surprised by that. It doesn't get much simpler than boating on the river."
Navigating around the Whiteshell, on the other hand, can be considerably more difficult because of underwater reefs and rock structures and a variety of traffic signs.
"You want to be certain you're doing the right thing because some of the signs seem counterintuitive (at first)," he said.
But not everybody thinks the requirements for getting an operator card are tough enough. Mike Waite, president of Safety Services Manitoba, said just because you can pass a written test doesn't mean you won't be a hazard on the water.
"Operating a boat in the water requires some real skill. There are no checks and balances with a written test. I'm not a big fan of it at all," he said.
Waite said with boat traffic increasing on lakes and rivers throughout the province, the absence of an on-the-water test -- which would be no different than getting a driver's licence for a vehicle or motorcycle -- will likely mean an increase in the number of boating accidents.
Get educated
As of Tuesday, if you're behind the wheel of a motorized boat or personal watercraft and don't have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, or PCOC, you can be given a fine of up to $250.
Here are some facts on the new regulation:
You can take the course online (see Transport Canada's website, www.tc.gc.ca for details) or after taking a boating safety course.
The course covers minimum safety requirements on your boat; the Canadian buoy system; a review of all pertinent regulations; and how to respond in an emergency situation.
According to Transport Canada, the course is available from Rivercity OSH Training & Consulting/Red River College. See www.rrc.mb.ca for details.
Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/you-got-a-licence-to-drive-that-boat-58913877.html
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Winnipeggers to enjoy warm, sunny start to September
Posted by Jim on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 (15:34:56) (128 reads)
WINNIPEG -- Environment Canada would like to present for your outdoor enjoyment and pleasure: Summer.
Today will be sunny with a high of 26 C, with winds becoming south at 20 km/h early in the afternoon.
The rest of the week and through the long weekend will be a virtual carbon copy with nary a cloud in the sky and highs ranging from 26 C to 28 C from Wednesday to Monday.
Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Winnipeggers-to-enjoy-warm-sunny-start-to-September--56577312.html
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