Plan to Clean Up Lake Winnipeg Bolstered by New Research Chair

The appointment of Dr. David Lobb as Manitoba’s first-ever research chair in watershed systems is a significant step in developing new, innovative ways to clean up Lake Winnipeg, Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick and Dr. Digvir Jayas, University of Manitoba vice-president (research), announced today.

“Support for cutting-edge research is one of the cornerstones of our plan to clean up Lake Winnipeg,” said Melnick. “The appointment of Dr. Lobb will set the stage for ensuring that our province’s water research is coordinated so we can develop innovative solutions that will help fix a problem that is generations in the making.”

“We congratulate Dr. Lobb on his being named as this inaugural senior research chair in watershed systems at the University of Manitoba,” said Jayas. “Dr. Lobb and his colleagues at the university are well-positioned to address the issues of water quality, water policy and protection. There is a wealth of knowledge housed within the many faculties and departments that are currently conducting research in areas of water quality and stewardship.”

The creation of the research chair at the University of Manitoba has been recommended by both the Clean Environment Commission and the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board and is supported with an investment from the Manitoba government of $1.25 million over five years.

The initial focus of Lobb’s program will be to better understand how nutrients that cause algal blooms such as those on Lake Winnipeg move so readily off Manitoba’s relatively flat prairie landscape and into streams, rivers and lakes, and to assist in identifying measures to prevent this from happening.