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Conservation Minister Stan Struthers says the province will be following the recommendations of the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) report on the public hearings on the Pembina Valley Water Cooperative’s (PVWC) proposal for a supplemental groundwater supply system. The report recommends against licensing the proposed project until further work has been carried out.

 

“I thank the Clean Environment Commission for their work on this complex proposal and we will continue to work with the cooperative to improve water service and quality for their stakeholders,” said Struthers. “However, any plan must maintain public confidence and long-term sustainability, and the Clean Environment Commission has offered recommendations for the region.  We will follow the recommendations of the CEC.”

 

The proposed multi-million-dollar project would be the largest drinking water extraction project in Manitoba since Winnipeg’s Shoal Lake aqueduct.  The PVWC proposal requires removing water from an aquifer in Sandilands Provincial Forest, transporting it across 95 kilometres and crossing 11 streams and many local jurisdictions.

 

“We also welcome the report’s recognition of Manitoba’s aggressive efforts to enact policy enforcement measures and a legislative framework to protect the province’s waterways,” Struthers said.

 

Manitoba will continue to work with the Pembina Valley Water Cooperative toward establishing a water-use plan for the group’s stakeholders.

 

The CEC is an arm’s-length provincial agency that encourages and facilitates public involvement in environmental matters and offers advice and recommendations to the minister of conservation.

 

Copies of the report are available at the CEC office in Winnipeg at 305 – 155 Carlton St., or can be viewed at http://www.cecmanitoba.ca.