The Water

March 25, 2022

2022 State of the Basin Report Released - Get Your Copy Now!

The Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the 2022 Rainy-Lake of the Woods State of the Basin Report (SOBR) lowwsf.com/sobr.

The report outlines changes that have occurred since the last report in 2014, focusing on the primary areas of concern in the watershed of nutrients and algae, contaminants, climate change, aquatic invasive species, and erosion/water levels. The report also highlights concerns about the health of the walleye fishery in the north end of Lake of the Woods and includes a new chapter on human health concerns in the watershed.

The 2022 SOBR is available in two versions: a detailed technical report of 148 pages, and an overview report of 32 pages, highlighting key findings and written for a general audience. We encourage you to read the overview version and to explore additional details in the full 148-page version, both of which are available for download at the Foundation’s website, lowwsf.com/sobr.

2022 Watershed Forum Proceedings Report - Get Your Copy!

The Proceedings Report of the 2022 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum is available for download at the Foundation’s website: lowwsf.com/forum-proceedings. Held March 9-10 as a virtual online event, 144 researchers, resource managers, policy makers, and members of the public put Lake of the Woods and its watershed under the microscope. The report covers a wide range of subjects: including: water governance and Indegenous perspectives, the State of the Basin Report, nutrients & algae, invasive species, and emerging issues and technologies.

Most presentations were recorded and are available for viewing for a limited time at lowwsf.com/watershed-forum.

Please download a copy of the report or go to the website to view any presentation recordings that are of interest to you.

Great News for Lake of the Woods In Canada's Budget 2022

Great news! Canada's Budget 2022, released today, includes funding that should help kickstart actions to restore the waters of Lake of the Woods. Specifically as it relates to Lake fo the Woods, Budget 2022 proposes:

$43.5 million over five years, starting in 2022, to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to create the new Canada Water Agency, which is to have a madate for the large rivers and lakes in Canada such Lake of the Woods.
$19.6 million in 2022-23 to ECCC to a Freshwater Action Plan (the future after 2023 of this initiative will be announced later) -- This funding will support clean up efforts in our major waters - specifically including Lake of the Woods, along with the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Winnipeg, the Fraser River, the Saint John River, the Mackenzie River, and Lake Simcoe.

In 2019, the Canadian government committed to establish a federal Canada Water Agency to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders in order to find the best ways to keep Canada’s water safe, clean, and well-managed. Budget 2022, committs that the CWA will be up an running this year (2022). We expect that this will move our objectives of developing an plan for Lake of the Woods forward, with phosphorus pollution reduction targets to address toxic algae in the lake.