Draining wetlands will become much more difficult in Manitoba if proposed legislation becomes law.
This morning the Manitoba government unveiled legislation that would require farmers and other landowners who removed wetlands to compensate the province for the loss.
Alexis Kanu, executive director of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, praised the province for taking action to preserve Manitoba’s lakes, rivers and creeks.
“Protecting wetlands is one of the single most important actions we can take for the health of Lake Winnipeg,” Kanu said. “This legislation would be the first step in that direction and must be backed by strong regulation to truly translate to impact on the ground.”
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Keystone Agricultural Producers and other stakeholders will work with the government in the coming months to formulate regulations around the legislation
“We just know the framework right now,” said KAP president Dan Mazier. “We still don’t know the real nuts and bolts of it.”
What is known is the proposed legislation cracks down on drainage of agricultural wetlands.
“The persons who (want) to drain … a wetland, it’s going to be much more difficult, much more costly,” Mazier said.
In a release, the province said it is adopting a no net loss principle for wetlands. Landowners could drain a wetland if they prove it offers “broad social and economic benefits.”
But a wetland of similar environmental value would have to be restored or enhanced to compensate for the drained wetland.
The new rules for wetlands are part of broader changes to surface water management in Manitoba. Under the proposed legislation, the province will also:
• Establish water quality targets for nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.
• Modernize inspection and increase fines for illegal drainage to a maximum of $500,000.
Mazier said the surface water management legislation should make it easier for producers to maintain existing drains on farmland.
The province has promised to minimize red tape and streamline the process to register “low impact/low risk water control works.”
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
