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Friends of the Earth CANADA E-Newsletter                June 2007-Issue 19 (part II)

Emergency Debate Tonight on Parliament Hill

Devils Lake Danger: Missing Test Results on Pathogens and Parasites

(Ottawa—June 14, 2007) In light of North Dakota’s opening of the Devils Lake outlet on June 11th, an emergency debate has been called for tonight on Parliament Hill by Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North—NDP).

 

“Two years ago this issue came before the House on a crisis basis and that crisis was averted through work by all levels of government on both sides of the border seeking a cooperative arrangement”, said Ms. Wasylycia-Leis. “It ended up with governments agreeing on an approach that involved the installation of an advanced filter system that was supposed to have been installed beginning in August 2005. The installation of this sophisticated filter has not occurred and the crisis is now back.”

 

Friends of the Earth Canada’s CEO Beatrice Olivastri says, “The U.S has spent less than $8000 for a dump truck full of rocks to protect Canada’s inland freshwater fisheries, valued at $20-million annually. The Devils Lake outlet must be closed immediately and permanently”.

 

 

What Happened To the 2005 Deal?

 

In 2005, the government’s of Canada, the U.S, Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota agreed on a cooperative approach to ensure that measures to minimize the introduction of invasive species and pollutants from Devils Lake into Canada would be taken. These measures included installing a sophisticated filtration/disinfection system at the outlet and working with the International Red River Board of the IJC to provide ongoing testing and risk assessment. After more than two years, the filter has still not been installed and the tests results have not been released to the public.

 

Manitoba had previously identified the fish parasite Gyrodactylus hoffmani in Devils Lake. The parasite, known for attaching itself to the gills of fish, destroying gill tissue and sometimes being lethal in fish-rearing ponds, is not currently present in Lake Winnipeg, which is already threatened by toxic algae caused by excessive pollutants. Large-scale water diversion from Devils Lake to the Red River Basin could seriously disrupt the ecosystems of Lake Winnipeg and surrounding watersheds.

 

BREAKING NEWS: Photos of Fish Breaking Through Devils Lake Gravel “Filter”

 

“We are dealing with the possibility of polluting an entire Canadian ecosystem with very invasive species making their way into the Red River and Lake Winnipeg” continues Ms. Wasylycia-Leis, “We are talking about the possibility of serious contamination and pollution of our water systems and we are talking about a brewing international incident.”

 

For more information, please visit:

FOE’s Stop Devils Lake Outlet campaign page