Lake Winnipeg

With its beautiful beaches and wide-open waters, Lake Winnipeg is one of Canada's greatest freshwater lakes. Lake Winnipeg, the world's 10th largest freshwater lake by surface area, plays a critical role in tourism, recreation, commercial and sport fisheries, and hydroelectric generation in Manitoba. Nearly seven million people live in the Lake Winnipeg basin. More than 50,000 permanent residents live in over 40 communities along the shores of Lake Winnipeg, including many First Nation and Métis communities. Water is sacred to Indigenous peoples and Indigenous communities around Lake Winnipeg have a special relationship to the lake.

Lake Winnipeg's world-class beaches attract many visitors to the province and offer many opportunities for swimming, paddling, sailing, and windsurfing on the east and west shores of the south basin. Each year, approximately 650 commercial fishers operate on Lake Winnipeg, catching a variety of species including world-class walleye, goldeye, sauger, whitefish, plus others. Locals and visitors to Manitoba can find many places to simply relax and enjoy the lake's beauty.

Since the 1990s, nitrogen and phosphorus have increased in Lake Winnipeg and in the four major tributaries flowing into the lake (Red, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and Dauphin rivers). This has impacted the health of Lake Winnipeg and contributed to increased frequency and intensity of algal blooms. While work is underway on several fronts to reduce nutrient pollution, improve water quality, and restore the ecological health of the lake, these actions have not been guided by an overall target for nutrient reduction efforts.

On August 23, 2024, the Manitoba government registered the Nutrient Targets Regulation under The Water Protection Act, establishing nutrient loading targets for the Red, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and Dauphin rivers flowing into Lake Winnipeg and nutrient concentration targets for total phosphorus and total nitrogen in Lake Winnipeg. The nutrient targets help Manitoba’s collective water quality efforts by guiding future nutrient reduction activities and best management practices, identifying priorities and helping track progress and outcomes over time. The regulation commits Manitoba to report regularly (every four years) on progress towards achieving the targets and actions underway to reduce nutrient levels in waterbodies in Manitoba, with the first report released in 2021, and the second to be released in 2025.

These evidence-based nutrient targets were developed over a period of many years and are based on the best available science, compiled through stakeholder input, scientific review, and interjurisdictional collaboration. Experts and scientists from across Canada and the United States (US) had input on Manitoba’s nutrient targets. The proposed nutrient targets align directly with new (2022) nutrient targets for nitrogen and phosphorus established by the US and Canadian federal governments for the Red River at the US/Canada border.

Key information to support the Nutrient Targets Regulation can be found in:

It is important to note that the establishment of this regulation is just one of many actions that the province is taking to improve the health of Lake Winnipeg and its basin. Significant progress has been made to implement actions to reduce nutrient contributions to surface waters in Manitoba. However, much remains to be done, and the Manitoba government will continue to work collaboratively to address the challenging issue of nutrient pollution and to improve surface water quality in Lake Winnipeg and its basin. Working toward nutrient targets for nitrogen and phosphorus and reporting regularly on progress will support our efforts towards water quality improvements in Lake Winnipeg.

Future efforts to reduce nutrient loading to Manitoba waterways are included in the new provincial water management strategy, which was developed with input from multiple departments across government and through extensive engagement with Manitobans, experts, scientists, industry and other stakeholders. A renewed "Canada-Manitoba Memorandum of Understanding Respecting Lake Winnipeg and the Lake Winnipeg Basin" (August, 2021) also supports these efforts. The agreement details how the provincial and federal governments will continue their work to understand and protect the water quality and ecological health of Lake Winnipeg and its basin, including reducing nutrient loading.

Governments alone cannot ensure a healthy Lake Winnipeg. Working with communities, experts, and scientists is essential towards efforts to protect Lake Winnipeg and safeguard the health of all our waterways. Recognizing the significance of Lake Winnipeg to the Indigenous communities around the lake, Manitoba has identified the need for enhanced inclusion of Indigenous peoples in water management through meaningful partnerships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments and communities on shared priorities related to water.