• Manitoba’s Water Strategy
• Water Trends
• Safe Water, Healthy Communities
• Habitat and Heritage Rivers
• Water and Economic Diversification
• Agriculture Production and Proceessing
• Climate Change and Water
• Maintaining Water Quality
• Balancing Interests
• Knowledge and Attitude
• Human Activities
• Resourceful Forest Management
• Water, People and Wildlife
• Water Workers
• Winnipeg Drinking Water
• Sponsors

Ditches, dikes and diversions

Much of the farmland in the Red River valley and in several other places in Manitoba was once marshes, meadows or land that frequently flooded. These lands were drained by natural streams that once had abundant fish populations. Over the years, many of these natural streams have been altered for drainage through a network of ditches, dikes, and diversion channels that created some of the most productive cropland in Canada. However, the stream straightening or widening to convey higher flows turned the once natural streams into sterile aquatic environments, causing damage to fish habitat and fish populations.

Many of these formerly "natural" waterways, particularly those where it has been some time since they were constructed or last cleaned out, have started to revert back to their natural form and once again provide food, reproduction, cover and migratory areas for fish. These waterways are now starting to contribute to fish populations, fish habitat, and a healthy aquatic environment once again.

Due to siltation, the drainage network in Manitoba requires periodic maintenance and doing so can damage or destroy spawning grounds, fish habitat, and cause the transport of large quantities of sediment into downstream lakes and rivers. Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Manitoba Conservation are working together with conservation districts, Manitoba's agricultural community and others to ensure that drain maintenance activities can proceed expeditiously, while causing minimal environmental impacts.

Teaching the teachers

If our children are going to appreciate the importance of water and do their part in using it wisely, they have to learn about it in school. That is the rationale for Project WET, a program that teaches teachers about water and gets water issues into the school curriculum. Project WET is a nonprofit international program. It now operates in Canada, the U.S. and internationally. WET targets students from K-12.

Teachers participating in Project WET are given training and access to attractive and innovative material on water for their classes or field trips. These materials are hands-on, easy and fun to use. The materials cover a wide range of topics, from local to global, from water purification to wastewater disposal. More importantly, they illustrate the importance of water to the environment, and how humans use and abuse it.

With subject materials and training guides in place, the next step is for everyone to plunge in and get their feet wet.