Agency agrees to review N.D. mega-farms over Lake Winnipeg pollution fears

A cross-border agency has agreed to review the environmental impact of two proposed industrial dairy farms in North Dakota near the Red River, the Manitoba government said Thursday.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes wrote to the International Joint Commission’s Red River Watershed Board in August to share concerns about the mega-barns, which would house 37,500 cows altogether, producing more than seven million kilograms of phosphorus and nitrogen yearly.

The manure runoff would enter the Red River in North Dakota before emptying into Lake Winnipeg, exacerbating the lake’s already-high phosphorus levels and toxic blue-green algae blooms.

“We are working with partners upstream and taking action at home to ensure developments address the risk of sending even more algae-causing nutrients into Lake Winnipeg,” Moyes said in a news release Thursday. “We must protect Lake Winnipeg for generations to come.”

The International Joint Commission will assess the impact of the farms on the Red River and review permits related to the farms, the release said. The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

James Beddome, the executive director of the non-profit Manitoba Eco-Network, said the interest of the commission was a hopeful step forward.

“We have the experts looking into it, that’s what we’ve been suggesting all along,” he said.

Protests have sparked up on both sides of the border against the farms; in North Dakota, a petition was presented to Gov. Kelly Armstrong calling for collaboration with Manitoba and Minnesota to protect the Red River watershed.

“I don’t think the general public are behind it, both here and in North Dakota, and aren’t our governments supposed to be doing what the general public believes is right?” said Vicki Burns, director of the Save Lake Winnipeg Project.

Burns remains cautious, noting the U.S. government, which has rolled back a number of environmental regulations under President Donald Trump, remains a concerning factor.

“I’m not saying, ‘Oh, great, this problem is solved now,’ because I don’t know how much, given the current state of international affairs, how much weight will be put on the IJC’s review.”

The Richland County Abercrombie Dairy (12,500 cows) and the Traill County Herberg Dairy (25,000 cows) are both owned by Riverview Farms, based in Morris, Minn.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca