Lake Winnipeg and phosphorous reduction plan.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-phosphorous-reduction-plan-rejected-1.5233789

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 AUGUST LONG WEEKEND UPDATES AND ALERTS

We expect the community to be busy with people this weekend.  
Please share lake safety information with others.  

BEACH and WATER SAFETY

Hillside Beach did not meet water quality standards safe for swimming July 29, 2019. The RM of Alexander has posted warnings at the entrance to the main Hillside Beach.   Please keep updated through the following  links. 

http://www.manitoba.ca/sd/waterstewardship/quality/beach_table_tabular.html
https://www.theswimguide.org/beach/5594

Since Monday's winds, Sandy Beach is covered in zebra mussels.  Please remember to bring along water shoes if you are going to the beach this weekend.  The clean up earlier this season was a pilot project that the RM of Alexander.  The following is a link to the report following the pilot project:
https://alexander.allnetmeetings.com/pubs/download.aspx?ty=ag&agid=FCD49714-83E9-4494-9054-AF4C7033E6A7&atid=4BC4696B-1D5D-4C56-81D8-64D3A9FE8585

ROAD SAFETY 
Please be mindful of pedestrians and bikes on our community roads when driving.  

Please view the following news clip from the Public Meeting on May 9th, 2019 winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1680590

Winnipeg Wastewater and it's impact on Lake Winnipeg

"On World Water Day, the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) are releasing a report recommending an interim retrofit to Winnipeg's largest sewage treatment plant. This retrofit could be implemented quickly and at low cost to significantly reduce the facility's phosphorus contribution to Lake Winnipeg.
Research at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area shows that phosphorus is the nutrient responsible for potentially toxic algae blooms in freshwater lakes. Winnipeg's North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC) is currently the single largest point source of phosphorus flowing into Lake Winnipeg, a lake plagued by algae. The NEWPCC treats approximately 70 per cent of the city's wastewater, releasing an average of 600 kg of phosphorus into the Red River every single day."  LWF report.

To read more:
www.lakewinnipegfoundation.org/news/report-interim-retrofit-winnipeg’-north-sewage-treatment-plant-protect

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www.lakewinnipegfoundation.org/events/events/red-alert-winnipeg’-sewage-problems-solutions

News articles related to Wastewater from Winnipeg and Lake Winnipeg
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-water-sewer-hike-freeze-1.5024743
​www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-winnipeg-sewage-treatment-1.5002165

Update on the CPS Sand Extraction Project - Take Action NOW!

www.gov.mb.ca/sd/eal/registries/5991wanipigow/index.html

Canadian Premium Sands, a venture capital company, has proposed a mega strip mine development to extract at least 1,000,000 tonnes annually of high grade silica sand from the Manigotagan area for the next 54 years .  They plan to truck this sand down Highway 304 and Highway 59, with a full 40 tonne semi-truck leaving the project site every 10 to 15 minutes.  The project will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the back yards of our cottage neighbors in the Manigotagan area. There is significant risk of serious health issues (silicosis, cancer), damage to the local infrastructure (highways), increased risk of accidents due to major truck traffic, concern for Lake Winnipeg (the Lake surrounds the project site on 3 sides) as well as complete destruction of the beautiful boreal forest that makes the Manigotagan area so attractive to cottagers.  Due to the outdated nature of Manitoba's Environment Act, this project may proceed WITHOUT a full Environmental Assessment. 

We have posted complete and detailed information on this project and the Environment Act process on the Members Only section of this website (see The Hillsider Insider).  If you are a member, please take the time to become informed and send a letter to government officials. A letter template is posted as well, to minimize the time to prepare / send a letter.   If this can happen in the Manigotagan area, it can happen in our back yard too. 

Take Action!  Send a letter to let the government know of your concerns and insist on a Public Hearing and full Environmental Assessment.  Then, if the project is approved there will be conditions, monitoring and accountability measures included in the licensing requirements. 

Don't have access to our Members Only site?  Contact us for more information by sending an email to info@hbca.ca