Integrated Surface Water Management on farmland in Manitoba - March 27, 2012

Today, the Watershed System Research Program hosted an workshop in Carman, Manitoba to initiate a short-term feasibility study on the potential options for managing excess water on farmland in a way that benefits farming and the environment.

The question this project is trying to answer is: can we manage water in a way that helps us to reduce the impacts of flooding, reduces the losses of nutrients (that would end up in Lake Winnipeg), but still allows farmers to make a living from their land.

With 28 people in the room - researchers, provincial government staff, conservation district staff, farm producers, rural municipality councillors and others all keen to see something different happen sometime soon, the ideas were soon flowing in our 'brainstorm' sessions.

We captured general thoughts on how drainage should be managed, design factors to consider, maintenance factors, environmental benefits and more. We had plenty of landowners who volunteered their farms as study sites, and we collected some basic information on some of the examples of the way water is managed around the province, and projects underway elsewhere.

We talked about communication - who, how and when and the need to engage a wide range of people and to change mindsets. Farm producers need to know how practice changes could make or save them money; the 'public' need to know how any practice changes might save Lake Winnipeg.

The project is just getting started, with the International Institute for Sustainable Development doing the bulk of the work to work up options and case studies that could be taken forward in pilot studies. The project has support from Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association and the Watershed System Research Program. It is due to be completed this summer.

I think this will be a really interesting project and I'm already thinking about the next stages and future projects and potential funding sources. It links with many other projects in the province and my challenge will be to get out and about and learn about them all.

Selena Randall