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Manitoba MP upset over Devils Lake diversion
Manitoba MP upset over Devils Lake diversion
By DENNIS BUECKERT
OTTAWA (CP) - Manitobans are so frustrated with the U.S. refusal to stop the Devils Lake water diversion they're ready to "let the bastards freeze in the dark," a New Democratic MP says.
Pat Martin, the Winnipeg Centre member of Parliament, says diplomatic efforts to stop the North Dakota project have failed dismally and it's time to take off the gloves to stop the project, scheduled to begin operating in July.
He said Tuesday that the file should be linked to trade issues.
"We're at the 11th hour and once you turn that tap on, turning it off is not going to help us because you will have contaminated Lake Winnipeg with invasive species," he said.
"We want the government of Canada to drop the gloves and get tough with Washington up to and including trade measures.
"People in Manitoba are saying, 'Let the bastards freeze in the dark if they're going to do this to us, if they're going to compromise every established treaty relationship that we had.' They've ignored us blatantly."
Critics say the Devils Lake project, intended to prevent flooding in North Dakota, will introduce new parasites and pollution into the Sheyenne River and eventually into Lake Winnipeg. North Dakota denies the water is polluted.
Martin spoke at a news conference after the all-party Commons environment committee demanded tough federal action to stop the diversion. But the committee used more moderate language and did not call for trade sanctions.
Bloc Quebecois MP Bernard Bigras said the North Dakota project must be stopped because it would create a precedent endangering all boundary waters.
"If the United States proceeds with this type of project in July it opens a major breech and considerably changes the role of the International Joint Commission. What we say forcefully today, all parties together, is that this project must not proceed without it being studied."
Prime Minister Paul Martin has already raised the issue with U.S. President George W. Bush several times and has failed to get any commitments.
The environment committee echoed the federal position that the Devils Lake diversion project should be assessed by the International Joint Commission, a binational Canada-U.S. agency, before it's allowed to proceed.
"Such cross-boundary issues have been addressed in an effective matter since the early 20th century under terms of the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty and the Devils Lake proposal cries out for a comprehensive appraisal under the terms, spirit and proven competency of the International Joint Commission," its statement says.
The committee also called for a moratorium on all diversions from boundary waters.
Conservative critic Bob Mills said he was disappointed the federal government didn't refer the file to the IJC two years ago when the U.S. government offered to do so.
Federal officials say the proposal of two years ago was not the same as the one now in place, but critics suggest then-foreign affairs minister Bill Graham may not have understood the significance of the project.
Current Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew welcomed the committee's statement.
"With the Prime Minister, cabinet colleagues, Manitoba and allies in the U.S. and Canada, we are making every effort to persuade the U.S. that North Dakota's unilateral action on Devils Lake would be a hugely damaging precedent."
Isaac Brock said:I think for my province this is one of the largest concerns on the table. Right now, much talk has been on the nutrient/algal pollution in Lake Winnipeg (used for fishing and huge recreation industry). The arrival of the Devils Lake Diversion project (DLDP) has really incensed folks north of the borded as it essentially makes our waterways the dump for saline, nutrient loaded water, but more importantly a dump for escaping foreign biota.
The planning of the DLDP was unilateral with few if no cross-border consultations to the effect of the local ecosystem and hydrology of the Sheyenne River let alone the Canadian hydrological basin. If it is pushed forward, it could have the potential to irrevocably harm Manitoba-North Dakota relations, which even given the current political climate had been very high.
Solutions?
A comprimise. Allow the Devils Lake Diversion to proceed, but add a sand filter and UV/Ozone/chemical disinfection to overflow water to ensure the water entering the hydrological basin is free of foreign biota.
Will it happen? Only the State Department can make a difference now.
Isaac Brock said:Solutions?
A comprimise. Allow the Devils Lake Diversion to proceed, but add a sand filter and UV/Ozone/chemical disinfection to overflow water to ensure the water entering the hydrological basin is free of foreign biota.
).
Isaac Brock said:Environmental Engineer. I'm sure the idea has been tossed around, so I can't say with certainty that I could take credit, but to me, the only way to remove the pathogens from entering the foreign watershed is to remove them from the effluent by treatment.
This seems to me to be a win-win situation.... Devils Lake has its outlet and could reduce flooding, while Canada can ensure exotic pathogens are removed.
Said1 said:Then I suggest you get lobbying! Sounds like a fairly simple solution, surprising it hasn't come to fruitation at your end.
Isaac Brock said:Well, I actually sent a paper to the International Joint Commission as an anthropological-sociological impact study. It was at least referenced to my knowledge in Manitoba's case to the US Circuit Court.
Is this indeed, as Kathianne said, what you are studying in university?
Isaac Brock said:Let me dig it up,
Interbasin Water Transfer: A Case study into the Ecological and Sociological Impacts and Causes of the Garrison and Devils Lake Diversion Projects
I'm more than happy to send a copy, if you want some dry, nighttime reading.
Said1 said:Did you basically bottom-lined it in your second post?
Send it if you want, I need another half credit in environmental geog, I may use it as a source. Seriously!
Just as an aside, and since you seem to be the person to ask, isn't the use of technology used in the process of de-salinization (sp??) somewhat limited? Does that matter in this case?
Isaac Brock said:I will send it to you, when I get to my Adobe PDF'er!
That's a good question. While salinity is a huge problem in the effluent water... have Total Suspended Solids in the thousands in many cases, it isn't a huge concern for Canada because as the old environmental nomer goes, "Dilution is the solution, to pollution". Cynical yes, but ofter quite true.
However, for the Sheyenne River in North Dakota and its local residents, the impacts from salinty alone will most likely destroy a large portion of the freshwater species both plant and animal. The recreational and ecological damage will most likely be irreversable.
Kathianne said:Well may have had the major wrong, but she does know way too much about water!
Hey Said1, can't believe you didn't think of me with these questions? :teeth: Why do I get the feeling you will curl up with this paper? :shocked:
Said1 said:No rush.
What does the quote mean, exactly (with out getting to technical - it's late).
This is what interests me the most and, there doesn't appear to be many alternatives......that I know of.
Said1 said:I actually did a paper on the negative impacts of rising sea levels on Egyptian agriculture. I know, dork city.
Isaac Brock said:"Dilution is the solution to pollution?". Well it's not entirely accurately, but consider having an amount of salty water, say 5L and you dumped it into a 15L tank with 10L of fresh water. Now, that water would be pretty salty. So that's kind of like the Sheyenne River. Now add that same 5L to a 50000L tank and the difference is negligable. That's the contribution the salty water will do on the overall Hudson Bay hydrological basin.
Now what Devils Lake could have done different? Well, a lot of the solutions are done in retrospect. The biggest error the ND state/US Army Engineers did was to drain the surrounding wetlands. Wetlands provide a transient storage area for water, so during droughts they release water and during heavy precipation, they hold them. Conceivably, farmland could be reclaimed and wetlands reconstructed. Additionally, drainage into Devils Lake could be slowed to allow for high evaporative losses.
Another, possibility, is doing absolutely nothing at all, and let nature take its course. Historically according to carbon records, the lake has reached this height before, spilling a bit into an adjacent lake and then receeded during the next drought. I hardly see this as a possibility.
The best solution, save reconstructing wetlands, also being the most costly solution, is to drain water, from the other side, western side, of the lake where the salinity is considerably less, run it though the proposed treatment system and hope for the best.
Isaac Brock said:Interesting, were the impacts mostly limited to the delta regions?
Salinity? In terms of Canada, I'd say no. In terms of the local ND impacts, i would say yes. The real impact to Canada would be the foreign pathogens entering our water system, much like the Zebra Mussels to the Great Lakes regions.Said1 said:Ok, no big deal then?
Out of curiosity, is there any type of development taking place where the wet lands once were?
I saw the pole marker, it would be interesting (to me) to look at other weather patterns before/during and after the times the lake did reach those heights in the past.
In the end, it might be worth doing, but I think the idea is for permenant solutions, asap.
Isaac Brock said:In terms of the local ND impacts, i would say yes. The real impact to Canada would be the foreign pathogens entering our water system, much like the Zebra Mussels to the Great Lakes regions.
Yes, currently the area is either zones residential, or farmland.
Indeed they did. The data can be found here:
http://www.swc.state.nd.us/projects/devilslake/watqual.html
Although, when I checked their server is offline.
I think an outlet with a treatment system would be a good acute method to transfer excess water, but a longer term solution should include the restitution of wetlands so that it would increase the drainage capacity of the Devils Lake Basin.
Said, I've PDF'ed my report. How would you prefer I send it to you?
