Banning winter manure spreading in Manitoba

Today I visited a City of Winnipeg manure spreading site just outside of Oak Bluff. The field is located near several major water drainage routes. This is the type of practice that Winnipeg and Manitoba must end if we are to get serious about saving Lake Winnipeg.

I will be introducing a Private Member's Bill during the next legislative session that will ban the winter spreading of human waste (municipal bio-solids) and animal manure.

Both human waste and animal manure contain phosphorous, the primary cause of algal blooms in Lake Winnipeg. The largest proportion of phosphorous loading occurs in April and May during the spring runoff period. During the winter months, it is not possible for the manure to be injected properly into the soil resulting in a spring runoff directly into Manitoba’s waterways.

During the summer and fall manure spreading works well because the soil is able to absorb the nutrients. It does not work well during the winter because in spring the ground is thawing and the snow is melting and running off the field—along with the manure—into our lakes and rivers.

Manitoba Conservation has presented draft regulations that consider the possibility of a spreading ban in some areas. My bill would go beyond those regulations and immediately legislate a province wide winter spreading ban.

The pictures are taken from a City of Winnipeg human waste spreading site. I believe that we must act immediately to stop the spreading of manure in winter. Lake Winnipeg and Manitoba waterways need our immediate attention. Along with a ban of winter spreading the Government of Manitoba should also be financially supporting those, like the City of Winnipeg, who will need to adapt their waste removal process to allow for only summer spreading.