[Mb-civic] CBC News - DEVILS LAKE WATER BEGINS FLOWING TOWARD RED RIVER

[CBC News Online]

This email has been sent to you by harry.sifton at sympatico.ca
The following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS ONLINE
at http://www.cbc.ca/news
____________________________________________________
DEVILS LAKE WATER BEGINS FLOWING TOWARD RED RIVER 
WebPosted Sat Aug  6 00:16:16 2005

---Water from the controversial Devils Lake water diversion project in
North Dakota has been pumped into a tributary of the Red River, which
flows north into Manitoba.

The Manitoba government has been fighting for years to keep water from
Devils Lake out of the Red River system, raising concerns that it could
contain pollutants or foreign organisms that could harm the Lake Winnipeg
watershed.

North Dakota officials insist the diversion is necessary to ease flooding
in the area.

However, that water began heading toward Canada – about 15 million
litres of it – after the pumps on the Devils Lake diversion were
tested on Thursday and Friday.

"We have been running them off and on," said Dale Frink, state engineer
for North Dakota.

"We have shut down, I believe, for the weekend with both of them. But
we do have water in the canal, and the water is flowing toward the
Sheyenne River."

The Sheyenne River joins the Red River near Fargo, then the Red flows
north through Winnipeg to Lake Winnipeg.

'Sets a bad precedent,' critic warns

Dwight Williamson, a spokesman for Manitoba's Water Stewardship
department, said the province found out two weeks ago that the tests
were going to be conducted, and that Devils Lake water would enter
the Sheyenne.

"We are a bit uneasy with this test water," Williamson told CBC News.

"This is certainly not an ideal situation, for this to move into the
Sheyenne River."

Williamson said the province is taking comfort with a few things. For
one, it's a relatively small amount of water – about one per cent
of the size of the sewage spill into the Red River from a Winnipeg
treatment plant three years ago.

Also, the State of North Dakota put a $50,000 gravel filter on the outlet
during the week, which will screen out fish, fish eggs and some plants
– anything larger than two millimetres in diameter.

 FROM AUG> 4, 2005: Filter built to ease Devils Lake concerns



Still, People to Save the Sheyenne, a citizens group that has allied with
Manitoba against the outlet, was dismayed the water was flowing at all.

"Any water is bad. It just sets a bad precedent," said Milton Sauer, the
group's president. "It's just not the thing to do. But I'm afraid that's
what's happening."

Frink said the tests of the outlet had gone well. The diversion project
was expected to begin regular operation next week.

Copyright (C) 2005 CBC. All rights reserved.