| Experts See Need for Lake Winnipeg Improvements | 20 March 2015 |
The Minister for the Water Power Act, in Manitoba’s cabinet, will determine whether to issue the final licence. The recommendations of the CEC and the results of First Nation consultations are the primary sets of information the Minister uses for the decision. The final licence would be backdated to 1976, which means that a renewal of that licence would need to be in place for 2026. Dr. Gordon Goldsborough of the University of Manitoba reviewed the status of Netley and Libau marshes at the mouth of the Red River, where it flows into the south basin of Lake Winnipeg. His analysis applies to the many coastal wetlands and marshes around the lake. Netley and Libau marshes are dramatically different than 100 years ago, and have experienced more significant changes since the 1970s. Dr. Goldsborough outlined what needs to happen in lake water levels for the coastal wetlands and marshes to regain their ecosystem functions and services. Dr. George McMahon, a retired US Corp of Engineers reservoir expert, attended the hearings for a week, including to hear the Manitoba Hydro panel presentation. Dr. McMahon reviewed the hydrological and operations models, and planning standards for regulation of Lake Winnipeg water levels. His observations included the need for the whole hydro system to be operated, managed, and planned together. To this goal he recommends public operating rules for each generation station and reservoir. These operating rules would become a suite of operating rules by which the hydro system could be audited, reviewed, adjusted, or changed. Dr. McMahon told the hearing that if the current wet cycle of ten or more years in Manitoba continues it would be very difficult to continue to operation LWR at 711-715 feet, as per the current licence.
View Manitoba Wildlands page content for LWR CEC Hearings |
|
 Print version |
Top |
