Proposed Nutrient Concentration Objectives and Loading Targets for the Red River at the US/Canada Boundary

Date
Precis

Excessive nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen and resulting increase in the frequency and severity of algal blooms is one of the greatest water quality challenges facing the international Red River watershed and downstream Lake Winnipeg. While all jurisdictions within the watershed have various regulatory frameworks, as well as plans and approaches to reduce the contribution of nutrients to water, the development of an enhanced, coordinated, and systematic strategy is desirable.

Since September 2011, with the support of the International Joint Commission (including through the International Watershed Initiatives funding), the International Red River Board’s Water Quality Committee has been undertaking work to address nutrients in the Red River. The mission is to develop a collaborative, science and watershed-based approach to managing nutrients in the Red River and its watershed with the goal of restoring and protecting aquatic ecosystem health and water uses in the Red River watershed and Lake Winnipeg.

Organization
International Red River Board – Water Quality Committee