Clean Water for Manitoba Communities

March 22, 2011

MANITOBA INVESTS $615,000 TO PROTECT CLEAN WATER FOR MANITOBA FAMILIES: MELNICK

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Minister Makes Commitment to Mark World Water Day

Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick today marked the United Nations’ World Water Day by announcing $615,000 in investments to help enhance the quality of water for Manitoba families.
“Our plan to make life better for all Manitobans starts with ensuring that we protect our water,” said Melnick.  “I congratulate all our partners for working together to ensure water is protected for this generation and for future generations.”
Melnick said the investments will support the work already underway throughout Manitoba and the Lake Winnipeg watershed including:

• $150,000 for the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium  to help support operation of the Namao, a boat that conducts research on Lake Winnipeg.
• $75,000 for the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation to invest in riverbank easements to provide wildlife habitat and trap nutrients that might otherwise flow into rivers.
• $150,000 to assist the International Institute for Sustainable Development with an innovative wetland enhancement pilot project which harvests cattails from Netley-Libau Marsh to reduce nutrient flows into Lake Winnipeg.  These cattails are then used to create bio-energy.
• $140,000 for the Prairie Provinces Water Board to support ongoing work managing rivers and streams that flow east from Alberta and Saskatchewan into Manitoba.
• $100,000 for the Red River Basin Commission to continue its workwith residents, governments and organizations across the international basin to help improve land and water management, and water protection. 

“Manitoba’s water, groundwater, rivers and lakes are part of our natural heritage and are vital to our future,” Melnick said.  “These investments are part of our common sense plan to work with everyone on issues such as clean water that matter to Manitoba families.”

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