Farmscape for March 17, 2006  (Episode 2090)

Manitoba Water Stewardship says several changes will be considered as the province moves toward the adoption of new provincial water quality management regulations.

Public consultations looking at two water quality regulations proposed by two departments concluded Monday.

One is the draft Water Quality Management Zone Regulation for Nutrients under the jurisdiction of Manitoba Water Stewardship and the other is proposed changes to the Manitoba Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation under the jurisdiction of Manitoba Conservation.

Farm groups and municipal officials have expressed several concerns, key among them the proposed use of soil maps to identify where and how much nutrients from manure can be applied to the land.

Dwight Williamson, the Director of the Water, Science and Management Branch of Manitoba Water Stewardship says a number of changes are already being considered as a result of feedback received.

Clip-Dwight Williamson-Manitoba Water Stewardship

We did initially intend that the maps be imbedded as part of the regulation and we're proposing now that that not be the case.

We still want them referenced and we want them widely available and we'll, of course, be committed to striving to update them with new information as that becomes available.

We're also proposing some other changes.

In our initial consultation document we had proposed that we have annual application rates as well for nitrogen along with the soil residual value that ought not to be exceed at the end of the year.

We're proposing now to discontinue use of the annual application rate.

Our interest is really what's left over, what's unused.

It's that unused nutrient that can become available for transport to water systems, so there are quite a number of changes like that.

Williamson stresses, if nutrient inputs are balanced with crop removal rates, there ought not to be a problem at all and he's convinced most producers will be able to work within the system being proposed.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council