Efforts by the provincial and federal governments to reduce the levels of phosphorus in Lake Winnipeg don't appear to be having much impact.

The lake has been plagued by blue-green algae blooms for the past number of years due to high levels of phosphorous which feeds the growth of algae.

Too much algae in a lake can reduce oxygen and eventually choke out animal life. It also releases toxins that can cause illness and even death in animals and humans.

Manitoba and the federal government have spent millions of dollars over the past decade and initiated a number of programs to address the nutrient loading issue and help revitalize Lake Winnipeg, but have had little to show for its efforts.

"Despite significant actions to reduce nutrients, recent phosphorus and algae concentrations in Lake Winnipeg are within the range of the historic concentrations we've seen in the lake since about 1999 to the present day. So, really then, we're seeing no significant change in those concentrations," said Elaine Page, manager for the water quality management section with Manitoba Sustainable Development.

According to the experts, Lake Winnipeg would need about a 50 percent reduction in nutrient loads in order to reduce the frequency and severity of the algae blooms that become so visible in summer.

Page is not surprised by the poor results they're seeing so far since managing nutrient loads in a body of water like Lake Winnipeg cannot be addressed by a single government, or over a few short years.

"Nutrients arise from many small sources across the one million square kilometre Lake Winnipeg watershed which makes water quality management challenging," said Page. "What we've seen in terms of experience from other nutrient rich lakes indicates that it will take decades or longer for us to see significant lake recovery."

Besides Manitoba, water also flows into Lake Winnipeg from Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana and about two-thirds of the phosphorus in the lake comes from the Red River, which runs through several U.S. states before reaching our province.

The federal government has spent a combined $36 million trying to improve the Lake Winnipeg basin between 2008 and 2017 and last summer announced plans to spend another $25.7 million on the Lake Winnipeg watershed.

The Manitoba government has launched a number of initiatives to reduce the nutrient loads on the lake including a program that offers financial incentives to encourage farmers to adopt practices that improve water retention or restore grassland and wetlands.

In addition, the province has put new requirements in place for waste water treatment facilities in Manitoba in an effort to reach new phosphorus and nitrogen standards. The province is also working with the city of Winnipeg on improving its combined sewer overflows and assisting municipalities to comply with nutrient management regulations to ensure that nitrogen and phosphorus are not being overapplied to land.

"We're definitely headed in the right direction but it's going to take a concerted effort across all sectors to be able to move the dial in the right direction," said Page.