Lake Winnipeg is Canada’s current case study in poor water quality. In 2013, the state of the lake led to national headlines, as it was designated the “world’s most threatened lake of the year” by the Global Nature Fund, a dishonor never before bestowed on a lake in North America. Lake Winnipeg’s biggest problem stems from its large watershed and changing hydrology. The combination of these factors, along with urbanization and agricultural activity, has led to drastic increases in nutrient loadings to the lake. This, in turn, has fuelled algal blooms that span thousands of square kilometres in area.
In Sandford’s recent book, he sets out to explain the scientific, social and policy reasons behind this degradation, and frames possibilities for a more desirable future. The topic is an important and engaging one, and I know of no similarly accessible book on the topic. Indeed, it is a heartfelt plea for the lake and for water issues across the prairies, which is a topic that many Canadians, particularly in the Prairie Provinces, should learn more about. At 140 very small pages, it is not a large investment of time to gain a briefing in the subject this book offers.
Saving Lake Winnipeg starts with a summary of a recent conference, where Lake Winnipeg was a major focus. While this helps readers get up to speed on the state of the lake and the setting, it is less engaging than the rest of the book, and seems to focus on the work of a few individuals, where much more extensive work merits discussion. Sandford sets out an organizing theme, which is a useful one – of understanding “the basin we had, the basin we have, and the basin we want” (xii). Within the book, he touches on all of the major issues facing the lake and its watershed. He discusses the extensive and expensive history of flood and drought in the prairies, evolving mitigation plans and associated legal, cultural and insurance issues. He characterizes key water quality issues in Lake Winnipeg, with a focus on algal blooms and concerns about the future of the fishery. And his mention of the risk of invasive mussels is almost prescient, with the discovery of zebra mussels in the lake in late 2013.
The book isn’t bounded by the lake or its watershed, though, as Sandford treads into much broader issues related to sustainability in this recent offering of the Rocky Mountain Books (RMB) Manifesto series. There is very broad discussion of climate change, not only touching on impacts on the lake and on the prairie economy, but with an extensive discussion on the impacts of climate change deniers, our failure to act and very broad issues related to our lifestyles and the impact on the environment. Early in the book, Sandford articulates the goal of helping the reader understand the “context and consequences of the problem … symbolized by Lake Winnipeg” (ix). He stays true to this broad scope and, in many ways, fulfils it, although at times it feels as though he is embarking on significant tangents. The book is a highly political one, where Sandford expresses his standpoint clearly on many issues. Consistent with the goals of the RMB Manifesto series, the book is not objective, but intends to be provocative as a means to facilitate discussion and change.
Saving Lake Winnipeg is intended for a general audience. It is interesting and wide ranging, and written in an engaging style. However, there is some terminology that may puzzle readers without a background in water. Where the book could be most improved is in some scientific details. For example, Sandford argues against the use of the term “nutrients” in describing runoff into the lake. He is correct in that some of the ingredients in the stew of chemicals reaching the lake, like pesticides, cannot be correctly referred to as nutrients. However, the biggest impact on the lake is the same nutrients that help plants, and humans, thrive. When they are transported in runoff they also help algae thrive, whether this is a desirable outcome or not. So this terminology isn’t greenwashing, it’s biology.
In Saving Lake Winnipeg, Sandford doesn’t simply describe a problem, but sets out a very specific set of solutions. These recommendations are sufficient for a generalist reader, and while many scientists might agree that the lists are correct, or nearly so, the devil is in the details. We don’t know enough about how to change agricultural practices to reduce nutrient runoff in an environment so cold, flat and nutrient rich as the Canadian prairies, so requiring the implementation of beneficial management practices, as proposed, leads to key questions about what, where and why. The suggestion of more biomass energy harvesting may indeed help, but there are many ways it might not, and we do not yet fully understand the complex ecological effects of this practice. The statement that we need to completely reengineer the ecohydrology of the prairies is a very big statement – but what does this mean? Who will decide, and who will pay? And, while “strengthening the hand of government” (xxiv) may help manage rural runoff and other issues, it has not played well in other jurisdictions. Finally, while we as a society have access to advanced water treatment technology, this solution to poor water quality is out of the financial reach of small communities. Solutions to the water crisis will lie in a mixture of the approaches noted by Sandford and others, but the path is not straightforward. Readers should not have false hope that we just need to complete this list, and the problem will be solved. The problems we face here defy simple solutions.
The book closes with a call to action, and an attempt to infuse some optimism for the future of Lake Winnipeg. The optimism is based on case studies where eutrophication recovery has been achieved. And while optimism is necessary, the fix for Lake Winnipeg will take time, money and cooperation. In light of the size of its watershed, the political complexity of the situation and the ecology of shallow lakes – all of which make for slow progress – it is important that we temper this optimism. Achieving both the basin and the lake that we want will be many, many decades away, even with ambitious action. Sandford’s book is a good one to help motivate that action.
School of Environment and Sustainability, Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan
© 2015 Canadian Water Resources Association
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07011784.2014.987697