Canada Supports Halt to Devils Lake |
03 May 04 |
Canada is fighting to halt diversion of water from Devils Lake in North Dakota to the Red River in Manitoba. After years of pressure from Manitoba, this week Canada formally requested an International Joint Commission (IJC) review of the project. The IJC handles cross-border water problems. However, the IJC only begins its work from a joint request. The United States must also refer the matter to the panel established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.Manitoba Premier Gary Doer has been central to a fight against building the outlet, citing concerns that the project may deteriorate water quality, impact the integrity of Manitoba's water and harm the commercial fishery on Lake Winnipeg. Manitoba is part of a joint appeal against the Devils Lake water diversion project, filed by the People to Save the Sheyenne, the Peterson Coulee Outlet Association and the Province of Manitoba. The issue has recently taken on a new sense of urgency, as heavy equipment has already started digging a ditch to drain water from the North Dakota Lake into the Sheyenne River, which flows into the Red River. Devils Lake is a closed sub-basin lake that has been isolated from the Hudson Bay drainage basin for over 1,200 years. Without a ruling by the IJC in Canada s favour, water from Devils Lake could be channeled north of the border by spring 2005. View the CBC Manitoba article Download the April 27, 2004 Winnipeg Free Press article (DOC) Download the April 26, 2004 Winnipeg Free Press article (DOC) View the April 6, 2004 Manitoba Government press release Sources: CBC Manitoba Online, Winnipeg Free Press, Government of Manitoba press release
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