 With the Devil’s Lake Outlet project, the state of North Dakota is preparing to divert 300 cubic feet per second of untreated Devil’s Lake water into the Sheyenne River. This prospect is of great concern to Manitobans because the Sheyenne River drains into the Red River basin.
Very serious ecological issues have been raised by this project. American and Canadian scientists have expressed concerns that the mass diversion of water from Devil’s Lake into the Red River basin may transfer biota and residues of various agricultural chemicals that could threaten the stability of the Red River basin ecosystem and undermine Manitoba’s valuable commercial fishery.
Given the seriousness of these ecological concerns, it is essential that the Devil’s Lake Outlet project be subject to a comprehensive environmental impact study with meaningful public input.
I have therefore tabled the following motion in the House of Commons:
M-390 - April 13, 2000 - Mr. Blaikie (Winnipeg Transcona) - On or after Thursday, April 27, 2000 - That, in the opinion of this House, the government should demand that the Devil's Lake Outlet project in North Dakota not proceed until it has been subject to a comprehensive environmental impact study with meaningful public input from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.
Since I moved the above motion, the project was revamped to address Manitoba’s concerns:
From The Globe and Mail – October 20, 2000
Water project safe for province, Doer says
WINNIPEG - The United States has revamped a controversial water- diversion project to appease Canadian concerns about the environment, says Manitoba Premier Gary Doer.
The U.S. Senate passed the Dakota Water Resources Act last week. The $631-million (U.S.) project approved last Friday is a revised and much smaller version of the Garrison Diversion project of the 1960s, which involved a massive transfer of water from the Missouri-Mississippi river system. Mr. Doer confirmed yesterday that the project has now been amended to include only water in the Missouri River basin and will not cross into Manitoba.
The provincial and federal governments had been fighting the original proposal to have water diverted into the Red River watershed, which would introduce foreign organisms that could wreak havoc on the Lake Winnipeg fishery.
The legislation still must be passed by the House of Representatives and the federal administration.
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