Water fight reaches tipping point

Devil’s Lake could overflow into Manitoba during flood season

Ryan Janz

Devil’s Lake could overflow in as little as three years, Manitoba Liberal leader Jon Gerrard and representatives from North Dakota told the public on Monday, Nov. 16.

Gerrard called this past year a “tipping point” for the controversial body of water and claims that the possibility the lake will overflow into Manitoba during peak flood season is now a certainty.

“Up until this year it was credible to think that the water levels would go down,” said Gerrard. “But this year there was so much additional water. The lake went up 3.5 feet and with no exit point. Within three years, we could have a huge amount of water coming down in an uncontrollable fashion at the rate of 12,000 cubic feet per second for 96 days.”

Devil’s Lake, located in North Dakota, has caused tension between Canada and the United States over sulphate levels and other possibly harmful organisms entering Canadian ecosystems through drainage into Lake Winnipeg.

Over the past few years, environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth have come out against an emergency outlet for Devil’s Lake, claiming it will adversely impact water quality.

“We had boats on Devil’s Lake for three days searching for known aquatic nuisance species and none were found. Neither were any viral agents,” said Michael Sauer, a water quality scientist for the North Dakota Department of Health.

Ramsey County commissioner Joe Belford said that should Devil’s Lake overflow, “there are only two places it can go, into the Sheyenne and Red River.”

The possibility of the damage done by the ensuing flood would be “frightful and devastating,” he added.

Preparing for this outcome requires more action on the part of the provincial government, said Gerrard.

“The way I see it, the provincial government hasn’t shown leadership in recognizing the severity of the situation,” he explained. “It could be as simple as putting down a rock base so there is less erosion. It might be possible to expand the existing outlet to six times its current capacity. That’s one option.”

Gerrard stressed that inaction and a lack of co-operation between the two nations could be the province’s downfall.

“We have a vital interest in this. If no action is taken, then you have this horrible scenario.”

Published in Volume 64, Number 13 of The Uniter (November 26, 2009)

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