Letter to Manitoba’s minister of Environment and Climate Change on accelerated phosphorus compliance
Together with the Lake Winnipeg Indigenous Collective and the International Institute for Sustainable Development, we reiterate our concern over the lack of a feasible plan to meet the 1 mg/L provincial phosphorus limit at Winnipeg’s North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC).
We are urging Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt to ensure phosphorus compliance is achieved at NEWPCC within the scope of currently funded projects. We recommend that the minister amend NEWPCC’s operating licence to require the provincial phosphorus limit be met through chemical phosphorus reduction as part of the new biosolids facilities project. We also recommend the City of Winnipeg be instructed to increase sludge treatment capacity within the city’s wastewater system to maintain long-term phosphorus compliance, accommodate growth and increase resilience.