How do we fix the eutrophication problem in Lake Winnipeg?
Like Winnipeg is vital 5.5000000 people’s lives in Manitoba. It supports $100,000,000 per year in tour ism alone and $25,000,000 per year in fishing profit. Algae levels are lowering the potential income from lake Winnipeg because fish nets are being clogged with thick algae blooms. These blooms have also disabled Victoria Beach for short amounts of time. These algae blooms are considered to be one of the worst eutrophication events in any freshwater lake in the entire world. Is this really what we want for our fresh water lake? During the months from July to September, the lake levels are held 2 feet higher than normal. This is done by Manitoba hydro at the hydro dams in order to make more money during the summer months. Manitoba hydro is seeking permanent license to control the water levels on lake Winnipeg. This is highly disturbing to our class.
By trapping water and releasing it over a longer timeframe, wetlands work to reduce the risk associated with floods and drought. And by storing carbon, they help fix the effects of climate change. Ongoing destruction of already threatened wetlands has put these vital habitats in danger, decreasing their ability to keep algae-causing nutrients like phosphorus out of our lakes, and reducing their ability to stop or reduce both flooding and droughts.
Wet lands provide crucial ecological functions; we cannot afford to lose any more of them.
We can fix the eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg by limiting the amount of nitrogen that runs into the lake off of farmers’ fields. One way that we can reduce fertilizer runoff is by injecting manure 4 inches deep into the soil so if it rains the water won’t pick it up and carry it away. The machine used to do this task is called a manure injector. We want the government to buy the injector for all farmers along the Red River, The North and South Saskatchewan Rivers, and the Winnipeg River watersheds. The manure injector ensures that the water contains less fertilizer because the manure has been pushed down to the roots where it is needed. Another source of fertilizer could be to harvest the cattails along the swamps and micro-marshes near the watershed. If we can create phosphorus based fertilizer from these plants, we could encourage organic farming in Manitoba.
Another way to correct Lake Winnipeg’s problems would be to create micro dams which form micro marshes to filter Nitrogen and Phosphorus from the water that runs off of the farmland. The governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan will rent the land and convert it to micro marshes. The farmers will be paid the equivalent amount that they would make in cash crops. The farmers will be encouraged through tax breaks to return more farmland to prairie potholes and marshlands.ie if they return 5% of their land to micro marshes, they would get a 5% tax break. This has many different advantages to the farmers. They will also need to irrigate less often because ground water levels will increase. If they are allowing plants to grow using ground water their crops will be healthier as ground water doesn’t mess up the Ph and salinity of the land. Irrigation is not as healthy for the land.
Another advantage of converting some land to marshes or sloughs would be that the cattails can be harvested and recycled as phosphorus based fertilizer. The marshes also help to slow down water flows and prevent erosion, as well as providing wildlife habitat for ducks and geese. Studies have shown that if just five per cent of the agricultural land base of Manitoba were used to grow and harvest cattails it would intercept all of the phosphorus which now ends up in Lake Winnipeg.
Another suggestion to improve the quality of Lake Winnipeg’s water is to change the level of Lake Winnipeg every 5-7 years. This would allow the plants in the NetleyLibau marsh to reseed. We suggest that during this time we use solar power and wind turbines to compensate for the lower power output. We will ask that Manitoba Hydro suggest an increase in the electricity costs. We would be willing to pay a little more during peak hours so that they would be encouraged to regularly allow Lake Winnipeg to have lower water levels. The surplus money from our bills will be used to compensate the company for the draw down years, and some of the surplus will be used to purchase and construct solar farms and wind farms. This will make up for any electricity shortages during the draw down years.
Manitoba Hydro will implement an information package to be distributed to schools to discuss the advantages of the plan. It will include pamphlets and data which discuss the benefit to Lake Winnipeg of the modifications made by the company to the price structures.
Filter the algae in situ using a boat or a large filter attached to a boat.
Find uses to commercially use the algae which is already growing in the lake.
Waste disposal sites for pig farmers to receive a rebate on their manure by tonne of manure, any farmer who chooses to participate in the natural organic injection fertilizer will be given the fertilizer for free.
The dead algae which sinks to the bottom of the lake, is causing oxygen levels to drop in the lake. When the oxygen levels drop to dangerously levels, the fish populations will die, and this will impact many different people including the fishermen. This is an important industry for Manitoba because it brings jobs, food, and part of Manitoba’s economy. Wouldn’t you do anything in your power to fix Lake Winnipeg if this was the source of your sole job? We want the Manitoba government to commit to fixing the algae issues in lake Winnipeg by giving money for research, encouraging Manitoba hydro to draw the lake down so that the Netley-Libau marsh can reseed, and by informing the public of the dangers of not acting quickly to save our lake. The health of Winnipeg is important not just for us, but for our future generations. We need to stop having a shortsighted approach to this long-term problem and starts thinking about the future of our province.