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Lake-cleanup plan panned
Posted by Jim on Friday, September 25, 2009 (18:03:57) (99 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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Fishing derby scores again
Posted by Jim on Thursday, September 17, 2009 (18:33:38) (114 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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Winnipeggers to enjoy warm, sunny start to September
Posted by Jim on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 (15:34:56) (129 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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Going green
Posted by Jim on Thursday, August 20, 2009 (17:50:16) (89 reads)
By Brian Bowman
Anglers looking to have a great day of fishing while contributing to the environment should sign up for this tournament.
The first-annual Green River Bank Cleanup and Shoreline Fishing Derby will hit the waters tomorrow, with registration taking place on the east side of the locks in Lockport from 9-11 a.m.
Entry is free.
Anglers will later meet in Selkirk Park at noon for an informal shoreline fishing derby with prizes awarded for the longest and smallest fish and a hidden length/time prize. Individuals must participate in the cleanup to enter the derby.
“Our project’s been around about 10 years now and my project goes out and cleans the riverbanks,” explained Rob Belanger, founder of Red River Operation Cleanup. “Over the years, we have picked up around 2,000 pounds of garbage.”
Belanger said organizers are hoping for about 30 to 40 people. He said it’s a great day out for families looking to fish while also helping out the environment.
Registrants will receive a wrist band (which identifies participants and allows a free entry into the park, nitrile gloves and a garbage bag). Participants will be assigned an area where shore anglers usually fish. These locations include the Lockport shoreline, the area surrounding CIL Road, Hydro Park and Selkirk Park.
Any proceeds or donations raised are in support of Red River Operation Cleanup. For more information, visit the website www.members.shaw.ca/greenanglers or contact Tim at 204-294-2320
Source: http://www.selkirkjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1701064
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Compensation nightmare
Posted by Jim on Sunday, August 02, 2009 (05:37:56) (83 reads)
Breezy Point residents want appraisals to include land values
By Brian Bowman
Laurence Kramer has lost his home at Breezy Point and has seen his commercial fishing business suffer after this spring’s devastating flood.
Now, he would like to be fairly compensated by the government.
Kramer is among a long list of Breezy Point residents who have lost their homes and are clearly frustrated with the province’s buyout offers.
“We should be compensated for what we had,” said Kramer, standing outside his camper where he now lives at Lot 32 of the Selkirk campground, Monday afternoon. “I have two kids and a partner I’m supposed to be taking care of and I would like to at least have a house that is big enough and that I can afford.”
Kramer, a commercial fisherman on Lake Winnipeg, is one of 42 Breezy Point residents living on Crown land who have been offered buyouts by the province after this spring’s flood.
Kramer’s house, located at the mouth of the Red River, was purchased about a decade ago because he felt it was the best place to dock his boat and have quick access to the lake and his nets.
Now he fishes out of Arnes, north of Gimli, and is looking to buy a new home for his family in the Selkirk area.
“(The government) is not giving us property values (in the buyouts), and for me, that’s pretty important,” said Kramer. “I have done so much work on that property with all of the floods in the past and I didn’t do it so I could just get kicked out the next day and not be compensated for it.
“I did it because I was expecting another 30 years of use out of this property,” he charged.
Kramer has been living at the Selkirk campground since July 1. Before that, he found a place to stay at Arnes.
He said his buyout offer from the province, which was sent out earlier this month, fails to cover his losses. The offer only covers the market value of his home prior to the flood – and not the value of the land because it is leased Crown land.
Kramer is frustrated that the value of the land where he was living at Breezy Point was not included in the buyout he received from the province.
He said it was an important piece to his fishing business, which he predicts will have an increase in expenses by “thousands of dollars per year.”
The province’s offer to Kramer was $92,500, but he steadfastly believes his home is worth in the neighbourhood of $120,000. He had an appraisal done two years ago for that amount and got a third-party appraisal done on his house Monday afternoon.
Kramer said he raised his home several years ago, but still had about eight inches of water on his main floor while ice moved his fish-packing house this spring.
He’s having a hard time finding suitable housing here in Selkirk.
“I really can’t buy a house,” he said. “I’ve been looking for housing...but I can’t afford a house with what they are offering me. Even the lousiest houses in Selkirk are $90,000. School’s going to start soon and (my two) kids are starting to get anxious, so what can I do?”
Kramer wrote a lengthy letter to Conservation Minister Stan Struthers on the issue. As of earlier this week, he still had not received a response.
Kramer noted the local appraiser who took a look at his property on Monday said he could only do the appraisal based on the combined value of his home and land. Kramer expects to hear back from the appraiser by next week.
Meanwhile, fellow Breezy Point resident John Shachtay, also a commercial fisherman, is shocked that the buyout offered to him by the province was so low. He did not want to publicly disclose how much he was offered, but it was well below the amount he was expecting.
He also has had a third-party appraisal done on his property.
“I have not been out fishing (this spring) because I lost my equipment,” said Shachtay, 90, who has lived at Breezy Point since 1963 and whose property was severely damaged by ice chunks. “And I don’t think the bank will be giving a 90-year-old man a mortgage.”
Shachtay said he lost around $9,000 in fishing equipment that he uses as a commercial fishermen. He said he has filled out paperwork to be reimbursed but has yet to hear back from anyone.
The Breezy Point area has flooded eight times in the past 14 years, but it was this year’s dangerous ice jams and risk to rescuers and residents that led the government to offer buyouts.
Shachtay said the flooding in the area has worsened over the years. He blames the lack of dredging in the river and the opening of the Floodway as the two main reasons for the increased flooding.
He strongly feels the Floodway should be expanded further north.
“That’s what they should do,” he stressed. “Because it’s going to get worse, not better.”
The buyout program in Breezy Point will cost in the neighbourhood of $3 million.
The government has repeatedly said that the buyouts are technically voluntary, but has made it clear they would not renew the leases of anyone who refuses to take the buyout.
Source: http://selkirkjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1674460
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