MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2005

Devils Lake diversion demonstrates need for national policy protecting Canadian water

OTTAWA – Despite Manitoba’s strong opposition, water from Devils Lake in North Dakota may flow across the border into the Red River, and eventually contaminate Lake Winnipeg as early as Monday, August 8. The latest in a long list of water crises stemming from Canada’s failure to protect both water sovereignty and water quality, Devils Lake demonstrates the urgent need for a national water policy.

The Devils Lake diversion, which could have devastating ecological effects, contravenes the Boundary Waters Treaty, a century-old agreement that defines the guidelines for Canada and the US to govern their shared water systems. The treaty clearly states that waters flowing across the border “shall not be polluted on either side to the injury of health or property on the other.”

The United States has failed to refer this matter to the International Joint Commission (IJC), the dispute resolution mechanism for bilateral water issues, in direct violation of the Boundary Waters Treaty.

“Devils Lake sets a dangerous precedent for future conflicts over our shared water systems,” says Susan Howatt, National Water campaigner for The Council of Canadians. “This crisis – like the one in Walkerton in 2000 or the looming crisis today in the Great Lakes – underscores the need for a national water policy. Water is currently governed by a patchwork of jurisdictions that have failed to conserve and protect the integrity of Canadian water.”

Water being diverted from Devils Lake has not undergone an environmental impact assessment and there are currently no safeguards to prevent invasive species and pollutants from contaminating the Red River. The recently announced pebble and gravel filter falls woefully short of providing the environmental protection needed.

The Council of Canadians is calling on the federal government to show strong leadership and prevent further harm to Canadian waters by intervening in the Devils Lake issue and immediately developing a national water policy.

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