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Since 2016, WSA has said it will be stopping illegal drainage into the Quill Lakes, stating that “unapproved drainage is contributing to the rise in water levels and has for years” and “the Quill Lakes is one of the highest risk areas in the province because of the flooding impacts to farmland and infrastructure.” Despite this, drains remain open and new drainage ditches continue to be dug, all sending more water to the Quill Lakes, causing more flooding and increasing the risk of an outflow of saline water downstream to Last Mountain Lake and the Qu’Appelle-Assiniboine River.

Water from the Quill Lake Basin is high in saline and measures as much as 9,000 to 11,000 milligram per litre TDS (total dissolved solids). As the saline water flows through ditched agricultural land, phosphorous and nitrates will be picked up and absorbed along the way. The accumulation of saline, phosphorous and other contaminants into our lakes and rivers will be irreversible. Our water quality will be severely degraded and the habitat for our fish and wildlife will be at huge risk.

We need only look to our provincial neighbours to ask the question: Why is this Saskatchewan moving backwards? Why are we destroying the very resource that may help get us through tough times in the future? Why are we polluting and flooding our waterways when we should be protecting them?

The Government of Alberta has developed a Water for Life 10-year action plan with goals to maintain a healthy aquatic ecosystem, reliable quality water supplies and safe, secure drinking water. The Manitoba government has introduced a strategy to protect wetlands and increased fines for illegal drainage. The Government of Canada has committed a $25.7-million investment to improve the ecological health of Lake Winnipeg and its basin. Should we really be sending saline water through the Qu’Appelle river system into Manitoba’s waterways?