WINNIPEG — Towns and municipalities in southern Manitoba have shelved their request to import water from the Assiniboine River to the region.
The Pembina Valley Water Co-operative Inc. has announced it has reduced its controversial project that would have piped water from the Assiniboine to towns and rural residents in the Carman, Morden and Winkler area.
General manager Sam Schellenberg said the revised project relies on expanding existing water treatment facilities and should meet the region’s needs for the next 10 to 20 years.
The co-operative had hoped to establish a water network that would serve the area’s water needs for the next 50 years. But Schellenberg said it became clear the process of getting approval for the plan would take longer than some communities had before they ran into serious water shortages.
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Earlier this year, the province’s Clean Environment Commission halted hearings into the group’s first proposal, telling the co-operative more information was needed before it could proceed.
Fear of water shortages
The plan to divert water was opposed by some who feared the diversion could create water shortages for current users and cause environmental damage.
Schellenberg said as soon as the area’s immediate water needs can be resolved, the co-operative will continue working for public approval of the long-term diversion plan.
Don Sullivan, spokesman for the Coalition to Save the Assiniboine River, said he is pleased by the co-op’s decision. But his group will continue to pressure the province for a study to ensure the Assiniboine River is used in a sustainable way.
