A trio of consultations, offering the public a say in the development of an integrated management plan for the Boyne-Morris Watershed, have wrapped up. The joint project between the LaSalle Redboine and Pembina Valley Conservation Districts has a focus on protecting water, aquatic ecosystems and drinking water sources in the area.
Project Chair Doug Dobrowolski says meetings happened in communities representing various points in the system such as Notre Dame at the top of the watershed, in the middle at Carman, and in Morris at the bottom end of the system. 
"We want input from people and to see what they want. What are the concerns that they have? What solutions do they have to fix some of the things that they have concerns about?"
He adds water retention, drainage and the potential for a future drought were the biggest issues brought up at all three meetings.
Dobrowolski notes this integrated management plan will include key goals, recommendations, measures of success for the watershed and serve as a guideline for conservation districts and municipalities in future land and water projects. He adds the Boyne-Morris Watershed is one of the last in Manitoba to develop such a plan.
"There hasn't really been one done for this area, so we want to fit it in with all the other conservation districts that are around this area so that the whole province is covered by an integrated watershed management plan."
As for the next step in the process, Dobrowolski says the committee will get to work and compile a report. He notes this step could take up to two years to complete by the time all of the results have been sifted through and mapping has been done. Dobrowolski admits this is a long process but is quick to note that some of the first integrated management plans in Manitoba took even longer to do.
"We've been lucky to build off of ones, we're not the first one to do this, so we can take a lot from what they've done and learn from it."
Mon, May 6, 1:00 PM
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