Undertreated Sewage Contributes to Harmful Algal Blooms

A brochure by the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and IISD proposing a $5 million interim retrofit for Winnipeg's North End Water Pollution Control Centre to reduce phosphorus loading into Lake Winnipeg by 70%, as a faster alternative to a planned $1.8 billion full upgrade.

• Phosphorus is identified as the nutrient responsible for potentially toxic algae blooms in freshwater lakes, and excess phosphorus is currently causing these blooms on Lake Winnipeg.
• The North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC) in Winnipeg is the largest single point source of phosphorus for Lake Winnipeg and ranks as the fourth largest phosphorus polluter among wastewater treatment facilities in Canada.
• While a full upgrade of the NEWPCC is planned by the City of Winnipeg, it is estimated to cost $1.8 billion and will not begin for at least 10 years. An interim retrofit costing $5 million could be implemented quickly to reduce the plant's phosphorus contribution by 70 per cent.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2019). Undertreated Sewage Contributes to Harmful Algal Blooms. https://www.iisd.org/publications/guide/undertreated-sewage-contributes-harmful-algal-blooms

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Undertreated Sewage Contributes to Harmful Algal Blooms. 2019. https://www.iisd.org/publications/guide/undertreated-sewage-contributes-harmful-algal-blooms.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Undertreated Sewage Contributes to Harmful Algal Blooms |date=22 March 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/guide/undertreated-sewage-contributes-harmful-algal-blooms |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2019undertreated, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Undertreated Sewage Contributes to Harmful Algal Blooms}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/guide/undertreated-sewage-contributes-harmful-algal-blooms}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }