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Lake Winnipeg
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Lake Winnipeg is a very large lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, about north of the city of Winnipeg. It is the largest lake within the borders of southern Canada, and it is part of the most undeveloped and pristine large watershed of southern Canada.
It is the fifth-largest freshwater lake in Canada, but it is relatively shallow (mean depth of excluding a narrow deep channel between the northern and southern basins.
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Encyclopedia
Lake Winnipeg is a very large lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, about north of the city of Winnipeg. It is the largest lake within the borders of southern Canada, and it is part of the most undeveloped and pristine large watershed of southern Canada.
It is the fifth-largest freshwater lake in Canada, but it is relatively shallow (mean depth of excluding a narrow deep channel between the northern and southern basins. It is the eleventh-largest freshwater lake on Earth. The east side of the lake has pristine boreal forests and rivers that are being promoted as a potential United Nations World Heritage Park. The lake is elongated in shape, and is km from north to south, with remote sandy beaches, large limestone cliffs, and many bat caves in some areas. Manitoba Hydro uses the lake as one of the largest reservoirs in the world. There are many islands in the lake, and most of them are undeveloped and pristine.
Watershed
The lake's watershed measures about , and covers much of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Some of its tributaries include:
Lake Winnipeg drains northward into the Nelson River at an average annual rate of 2,066 cubic metres per second (72,960 cu ft/s), and forms part of the Hudson Bay watershed, which is one of the largest in the world. This watershed area was historically known as Rupert's Land when the Hudson's Bay Company was chartered in 1670.
History
Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba, are found at the floor of the prehistoric Glacial Lake Agassiz. The area between Lake Winnipeg and Manitoba is called the Interlake Region, and the whole region is called the Manitoba Lowlands.
The first European to have seen the lake is believed to have been Henry Kelsey in 1690. He adopted the Cree language name for the lake: winipek, meaning "muddy waters". La Verendrye referred to the lake as Ouinipigon when he built the first forts in the area in the 1730s. Later, the Red River Colony to its south would take the lake's name and become Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba.
Water conditions
Due to its long, narrow shape, the lake exhibits a variety of interesting wind and wave effects, including waves of up to one metre in height at its southern shore, a process called wind tide. This occurs when prevailing northerly winds blow along the length of Lake Winnipeg, exerting a horizontal stress on its surface. Surface waters move in the direction of the wind and pile up along the windward south shores.
Furthermore, water depths are known to be extremely variable at the south end of the lake. Many of the recreational beaches on the southern end of the lake feature rustic, seasonal piers for swimmers. It is not uncommon to be able to walk off the end of one of these piers one day into more than waist-deep water, then return a few days later to the same spot to find the water only ankle deep, or even exposed sand.
Setups greater than 1 m above normal lake levels have been recorded along many of southern Lake Winnipeg's recreational beaches, and the associated high waves with their uprush effects have caused considerable storm damage, backshore flood and shoreline erosion. The highest setups occur in the fall, when the northerly winds are strongest. If the winds die down suddenly, the waters rush northward, then slosh back and forth in a process called seiching.
Algae population and pollution
Lake Winnipeg is suffering from many environmental issues such as an explosion in the population of algae which is caused by excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus seeping into the lake. Scientific research had not taken place in over thirty years and it was the provincial government’s responsibility to manage Lake Winnipeg. Now North Dakota had diverted water from Devils Lake further polluting and contaminating Lake Winnipeg. A flood in 1997 is said to have lead to the contamination of Lake Winnipeg and in 1999 a form of algae which is toxic had spread throughout the lake. This species of algae is called neurotoxic cyanophyte or cyanobacteria and is also known as blue-green algae. The algae aren’t foreign to the lake but when the population of these algae increases dramatically it causes environmental concerns.
There are several reasons why this algae population expands. Nitrogen which comes from sewage, phosphorous which is found in many lawn fertilizers and dish detergents, and humans all contribute to the pollution of ground water which seeps into the lake. Phosphorous and nitrogen cause eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem. Out of all of the world’s lakes, Lake Winnipeg has been found to be the most eutrophic and can be seen from outer space. Eutrophication causes problems with the food web but benefits the algae. Phosphorus can be beneficial to the food chain but only briefly and excessive amounts can cause the ecosystem to collapse. The death of the algae blooms cause them to sink to the bottom of the lake, this is where decomposers take control causing areas of the lake to deoxygenate and these areas are called dead zones. Nitrogen also is a source of food for the algae. Studies over a 100 day time frame have shown that 11, 000 tonnes of nitrogen had been drawn into the lake by the algae. The study also found that within 14 to 20 days the cyanobacteria can repair Winnipeg’s annual output or any amount of nitrogen.
Cottages on Lake Winnipeg cause adverse effects on the ecosystem. Septic tanks which are in poor condition or improperly installed can leak causing the release of pathogen and nutrients into the lake. At certain times in the summer there are high levels of ecoli and swimming is banned on the south beaches. The effects of global warming also play a role in the growth of the algae by creating warmer water for longer periods of time. The algae produce toxins and the levels of toxins in Lake Winnipeg exceed the amount in the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Manitoba Hydro is another contributing factor to the demise of Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem. The hydro dam prevents the natural flow of the water which stops the excess nutrients from drifting down steam thus confining it to the lake and creating an overabundance of nutrients.
After the flood in 1997 scientists went to research Lake Winnipeg, it had been 30 years since scientists had been to lake and they found that there wasn’t very much funding available to meet their needs. There was zero federal research spending and the funding had to come from a charity organization which was highly underfunded. The Manitoba government is responsible for the management of the lake but legally it is Environment Canada who is supposed to provide the funding. A treatment plan to remove the nitrogen and phosphorus was created by the province. Scientific evidence had shown that removing only the phosphorus would be beneficial and less expensive. In 1974 water experts had concerns about the alarming rate of the algae growth and they had recommended reducing the concentration of nutrients in Lake Winnipeg. It wasn’t until recently that action was taken. Updates to regulations on livestock, lawn fertilizer and dish soaps containing phosphorus were banned as well as a complete sewage treatment upgrades were achieved by the Doer government.
In 2003 the Manitoba government faced some challenges when North Dakota announced that they wanted to divert water from Devils Lake into Manitoba. Manitoba government had urged Ottawa to help prevent the diversion project but after a lengthy battle Manitoba lost the court case to put an end to the project. A Boundary Water Treaty was signed in 1909 to prevent both countries from altering water flows from one country to the other. Canada had insisted that the U.S. take the water diversion matter to the International Joint Commission but the U.S. refused. The international Joint Commission was formed when the Treaty was signed between the U.S. and Canada.
The history of Devils Lake is astonishing, in the middle of the 1800’s raw sewage was dumped into the lake from cabins and motels, for forty years this continued. High amounts of bacteria growth became a major concern for those who lived around and depended on Devil’s Lake. Now Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg will suffer the consequences of the U.S.’s actions. The water diversion from North Dakota to Manitoba has severe ramifications on the ecosystem of Lake Winnipeg. 200 tonnes of contaminates already flow from the American side of the Red River into Manitoba but with the water diversion more phosphorus and nitrates, an estimated 40 tonnes, would enter into Lake Winnipeg annually. Other pollutants such as arsenic, saline, sulphates, pathogens and other contaminates as well as fish parasites and algae were found in Devils Lake that were not present in Lake Winnipeg and this could cause and environmental disaster. It was also estimated that the diversion would bring approximately 12 non-native species into Lake Winnipeg.Since Manitoba lost the court case against the U.S. diversion project an agreement was made between the two governments to build a temporary filtration system made of gravel. A permanent filtration system should be installed and the Manitoba Minister of Water Stewardship says that this should be the responsibility and obligation of North Dakota.
There are many causes for the environmental issues that affect Lake Winnipeg. Toxic blue - green algae overgrowth caused by excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. In 1974 scientists raised concern about the algae growth but the lake went untouched by scientists for thirty years. After the flood in 1997 scientists returned to the lake but had no funding from the government to examine the problems so they were meagrely funded by a non-profit organization. Then in 2003 the Manitoban and Canadian government could not stop the United States from diverting water from Devils Lake into Manitoba and this would cause more environmental issues with Lake Winnipeg. The history of Devils Lake is appalling and Lake Winnipeg will pay the price. Canada agreed to a temporary filtration system built by North Dakota to filter the water from Devils Lake. There needs to be a permanent filtration system put into place and it is the U.S.’s responsibility to do so.
Communities
Communities on the lake include Grand Beach, Riverton, Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, Victoria Beach, Pine Falls, Manigotagan, Berens River, Bloodvein, and Grand Rapids. A number of pleasure beaches are found on the southern end of the lake, which are popular in the summer, attracting many visitors from Winnipeg, about 80 km south.
Fishing
Lake Winnipeg serves important commercial fisheries. It is one of the main lakes in Manitoba's 30 million dollar annual commercial catch.
Lake as a transportation route
Due to its length the Lake Winnipeg water system and the lake itself was an important transportation route in the province before the railways reached Manitoba, and it continued to serve as a notable transportation route even after the railways had established a foothold in the province. In addition to Indian canoes and York boats there were several steamboats that plied the lake, including Anson Northup, City of Selkirk, Colvile, Keenora, Premier, Princess, Winnitoba and Wolverine.
External links
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