Devil's Lake Water Outlet to be Filtered for Invasives

WASHINGTON, DC, August 8, 2005 (ENS) - The United States and Canada announced Friday that water being drained into Canada from North Dakota's flooded Devil's Lake will be filtered and monitored to ensure no aquatic nuisance species migrate north of the border.

The mutually accepted approach provides for a layered system of environmental safeguards at the Devils Lake outlet and cooperation in monitoring for invasive species throughout the Red River Basin.

The agreement resulted from months of cross-border consultation and cooperation among federal officials from the United States and Canada, and state and provincial officials from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba.

Since 1993, Devils Lake has rapidly risen, growing from 70 square miles to more than 200 square miles - flooding communities, schools and farms. To help control flooding, North Dakota will soon complete construction of an outlet to carry some of this water from Devils Lake to the Sheyenne River, which flows into the Red River and north into Canada, where it empties into Lake Winnipeg.

Flooded Devil's Lake with drowned trees that once grew on dry land. (Photo courtesy North Dakota Geological Survey)

U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins expressed his support for the cooperative approach. "This is a triumph for diplomacy. It is a wonderful example of how our two countries can work together for the benefit of our shared environment and our shared resources."

"This arrangement both reaffirms our mutual cooperation under the Boundary Waters Treaty and deals with our environmental concerns," said Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew. "I am particularly pleased that we were able to work in close cooperation with the government of Manitoba to address the concerns of Manitobans."

In response to concerns raised by Canada, Manitoba and Minnesota about the potential for deterioration of water quality and other environmental effects, government experts evaluated water quality safeguards and the permit limits for the project.

A rapid bio-assessment of the lake was conducted by 20 biologists from the U.S. and Canada to enhance collective understanding of lake organisms. They developed shared strategies to protect the broader Red River Basin from future risk of aquatic nuisance species.

• North Dakota will put in place a rock and gravel intermediate filter before opening the outlet, to prevent the release of macroscopic aquatic nuisance species from Devils Lake;

• The United States and Canada will cooperate in the design and construction of a more advanced filtration and/or disinfection system for the Devils Lake outlet, taking into account the results of ongoing monitoring and risk assessment;

• The participants will work with the International Red River Board, of the International Joint Commission, to develop and implement a shared risk management strategy for the greater Red River Basin, involving an early detection and monitoring system for water quality and aquatic nuisance species throughout the Basin;

• The participants will take immediate measures to prevent the spread of any aquatic nuisance species that pose significant risk to the Basin, should any be identified;

• The Province of Manitoba will complete tasks associated with mitigating the impacts of the Pembina Border Dike no later than August 31, 2005

• To address concerns raised by Canada, Manitoba and Minnesota with respect to an inlet being built from the Missouri River to Devil's Lake to help stabilize lake levels, North Dakota affirms it does not have such a current intention, plan or prospective proposal to construct such an inlet; and the U.S. federal government affirms that it is prohibited by federal law from expending funds towards the construction of such an inlet.

"This approach represents an important and positive achievement for all the parties," said North Dakota Governor John Hoeven. "The outlet will be an important step forward in providing relief for the thousands of North Dakotans who have faced hardship due to the historic flooding levels of Devils Lake."

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer (Photo courtesy )

Manitoba has been particularly concerned about the potential influx of invasive organisms smaller than two microns such as viruses, protozoa, and bacteria, and about sediment and total dissolved solids in water coming into the province from Devil's Lake.

In June 2003 comments on the outlet submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a senior Manitoba water official quotes the final environmental impact statement as saying, "Without treatment of the discharge water [which was deemed cost prohibitive], it is not possible to design an effective outlet that will assure attainment of all downstream water quality standards."

"The benefit of this approach is that we will be working together to manage the entire Red River Basin," said Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. "We will all benefit from this increased level of protection for our aquatic resources."

"This arrangement demonstrates that with collaboration of all levels of government in both Canada and the United States we can reach a consensus," said Reg Alcock, Canadian Federal Minister responsible for Manitoba. "We are protecting Manitoba's waterways while providing flood relief to our neighbours in North Dakota."

Summer on the shore at Lake Winnipeg (Photo courtesy Province of Manitoba)

These measures, combined with the rapid bio-assessment testing, provide a higher level of confidence that the necessary precautions have been put in place. The parties are working to finalize this arrangement prior to the completion of the testing phase of the operation.

In a 1999 investigation of Devil's Lake for the North Dakota Geological Survey, geologist John Bluemle explains that over the past several thousand years, the lake level has fluctuated between the extremes of being completely dry to overflowing to the Sheyenne River.

"The lake is essentially always either rising or falling. That is its natural condition. And the reason for this is entirely the result of climatic cycles," Bluemle writes.

"Except for the past 120 years or so, since the area was settled, the lake, and drainage to the lake, was not subject to any manipulation such as farming practices, wetland drainage, road construction, diking or any other human activities," Bluemle writes. "The lake’s overall behavior has always been, and continues to be, driven entirely by climate."

Find out more at the Manitoba Water Stewardship website here.