Peatland Mining in Manitoba’s Interlake

The report assesses the environmental impact of peat mining in Manitoba, specifically focusing on the Interlake region. It estimates that nutrient leaching from all current peat lease holdings would contribute between 0.02% and 0.35% of total annual phosphorus and 0.04% to 0.87% of total annual nitrogen loads to Lake Winnipeg. Greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change due to peat extraction are estimated to be no more than 0.4 million tonnes CO2e per year, representing approximately 2% of Manitoba's total annual emissions. The document concludes that a cumulative environmental assessment (CEA) is an appropriate methodology for managing these activities and suggests mitigation strategies such as carbon credit trading, immediate post-extraction restoration, and the use of sedimentation ponds and constructed wetlands.

• Nutrient leaching from active peat mines in Manitoba is estimated to not exceed 0.40 kg P ha-1 yr-1 and 15.00 kg N ha-1 yr-1.
• The total phosphorus and nitrogen loads to Lake Winnipeg from all current peat lease holdings in Manitoba are estimated to not exceed 12 tonnes P yr-1 and 449 tonnes N yr-1, respectively.
• Peat mining's contribution to Lake Winnipeg's annual nutrient loads is relatively small, with phosphorus ranging from 0.02 to 0.35 per cent and nitrogen from 0.04 to 0.87 per cent.
• Greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change due to active peat mines in Manitoba are estimated to not exceed 13.47 tonnes CO2e ha-1 yr-1.
• Total annual land-use change greenhouse gas emissions from all Manitoba peat lease holdings would not exceed 0.4 million tonnes CO2e yr-1, which is approximately 2% of the province's total emissions of 19.8 million tonnes CO2e.
• Proposed peat mining at the Ramsay Point and Deer Lake sites in the Interlake would contribute approximately 0.3 tonnes of phosphorus and 8.1 tonnes of nitrogen to Lake Winnipeg annually.
• Effective mitigation for nutrient loading includes the use of sedimentation ponds, treatment lagoons, constructed wetlands, and peak runoff control combined with biomass harvesting.
• Greenhouse gas mitigation strategies include carbon credit trading and the immediate commencement of peatland restoration or rehabilitation after extraction is complete.
• Research indicates that the net carbon sink function of a degraded peatland can be restored in less than 10 years following restoration.
• The report identifies that a Cumulative Environmental Assessment (CEA) is a reasonable methodology for assessing peat mining in Manitoba as it evaluates interactions between activities and environmental components over larger areas and longer timescales than individual EIAs.

APA

Swystun, K., Chen, X., Lewtas, K., McCandless, M., & Venema, H. D. (2015). Peatland Mining in Manitoba’s Interlake. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/peatland-mining-manitoba-interlake-2015.pdf

Chicago

Swystun, Kyle, Xi Chen, Kimberly Lewtas, Matthew McCandless, and Henry David Venema. Peatland Mining in Manitoba’s Interlake. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/peatland-mining-manitoba-interlake-2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Swystun |first1=Kyle |last2=Chen |first2=Xi |last3=Lewtas |first3=Kimberly |last4=McCandless |first4=Matthew |last5=Venema |first5=Henry David |title=Peatland Mining in Manitoba’s Interlake |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/peatland-mining-manitoba-interlake-2015.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{swystun2015peatland, author = {Swystun, Kyle and Chen, Xi and Lewtas, Kimberly and McCandless, Matthew and Venema, Henry David}, title = {{Peatland Mining in Manitoba’s Interlake}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/peatland-mining-manitoba-interlake-2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }