Published August 15 2009
Red River Basin experts discuss plans
Red River Basin experts believe that investing in water quality conservation and other ecological programs can help keep
basements dry and provide economic benefits throughout the region.
By: Kevin Bonham, Grand Forks Herald
Red River Basin experts believe that investing in water quality conservation and other ecological programs
can help keep basements dry and provide economic benefits throughout the region.
The Red River Basin Commission is commissioning a $700,000 project, Building Capacity for Multi-purpose
Land and Water Investments. The first phase is a $55,000 outreach and partnership-building program,
according to Lance Yohe, executive director.
“Water quality, supply, flood control and conservation, like habitat. We figure those will be the four major
issues that will tie things together in our region,” Yohe said.
“What’s very difficult is to talk about it all together. You have to understand the broader picture,” he said. “If
we’re building water retention projects, can they also be there for water supply, conservation? We want to
get people to talk about integration, to get to where we want to go, without making one piece successful
without hurting another piece, and possibly make some money, too.”
The Red River Basin is a prime candidate for investigating ecological infrastructure — wetlands, riparian
areas, forests and grasslands — investment opportunities because the majority of its natural environments
have been lost to make way for human expansion and activities, according to the study proposal.
Evidence is growing that local governments can use ecological investments to improve water quality and
save money. The proposal lists New York City as an example.
Faced with a mandate to improve the quality of its water supply, New York City saved $6 billion by restoring
the watershed’s ecological infrastructure instead of building a new water filtration facility.
The RRBC is partnering with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities and the Winnipeg-based
International Institute for Sustainable Development, a policy research institute.
The initial $55,000 came from Environment Canada’s Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund.
The project will consist of these main activities:
- Building partnerships throughout the basin, which partly includes obtaining money to complete the project.
- Compiling comprehensive Red River Basin maps for ecological infrastructure investment planning.
- Develop land cover/use models for assessing opportunities to improve water quality through ecological
infrastructure investments.
- Investigate scenarios for ecological infrastructure investment.
- Build capacity through communication and education efforts.
One of the project leaders is Henry “Hank” Venema, director of the IISD’s agricultural and water program
and its new Water Innovation Center.
Venema, who studied the 2009 Red River flood, recently published a report, “Multi-Purpose Flood
Protection: A Rural-Urban Win-Win.” He will deliver a talk on the topic this week at the World Water Week in
Stockholm, Sweden. The conference theme is: Accessing water for the common good.
The IISD has studied six transboundary river basins around the globe:
- Congo River, Africa.
- Danube River, Europe.
- Mekong River, Southeast Asia.
- Jordan River, Middle East.
- LaPlata River, South America.
- Red River of the North, North America.
“We’re putting the Red River Basin in that context, river basins that straddle international borders,” Venema
said. “The key message is that ecosystem services are undervalued and not well-represented in the
reasons, the programming of transboundary river systems.
Lake Winnipeg is the 10th largest freshwater lake in the world. The Lake Winnipeg Watershed — Red River
Basin — covers about 45,000 square miles and is home to more than 5.5 million people.
“The story with the Red is that it’s so different than those other basins,” Venema said. “It’s physically
different, not like the Congo. It’s more like the Jordan in that agriculture is the dominant land use in the
basin.
“We have found that multiple jurisdictions within a transboundary basin can find common ground in dialogue
about the environment,” Venema said. “There is a greater degree of cooperation when people understand
that the ecosystem services of a watershed have considerable value, beyond applications for navigation or
water supply.”
Reach Bonham at (701) 780-1110; (800) 477-6572, ext. 110; or send e-mail to kbonham@gfherald.com.