Portage la Prairie has received long-awaited federal permission to proceed with mechanical weed removal from Crescent Lake, after being unable to use chemical herbicides since 2023.
Portage Mayor Sharilyn Knox says the city submitted an application to Fisheries and Oceans Canada earlier this year to use a weed harvester, and just received word it’s been approved.
“We just received notice late yesterday that we have that permission,” Knox says.
She notes the city will now work with a private company to finalize scheduling and logistics.
“Our team will be working with the company to determine how that will get done, when it’ll get done, and make a schedule,” she adds.
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Although the timing isn’t immediate, Knox says the city is eager to move forward with the process. However, a higher water level is still needed for the machine to be fully effective.
“We do need the level to rise,” Knox says. “So we do have some rain in the forecast, and we hope that that will do enough so that the weed harvester will be effective when it happens.”
City to contract out service, not buy equipment yet
Knox clarifies that the city does not currently own a functioning harvester, and will be hiring a contractor for the job. At this point, purchasing a new machine is not part of the immediate plan.
“We don't have a harvester that's functioning, so we will be working with a company to do it,” Knox says. “We want to make sure that it's something that will work before we invest in new equipment specifically for the city.”
Broader lake management solutions still underway
The Crescent Lake Task Force is also continuing discussions with the province about long-term water level management.
“Our Lake Task Force continues to work with the province to determine the best way to be able to pump into Crescent Lake from the river,” Knox notes.
While no decision has been made yet, she says they are actively evaluating multiple options.
“There are solutions out there,” Knox says. “We just have to figure out which one is best for our city and for the citizens, and cost and budget and all of those things.”
Knox adds that the city will provide more updates as information becomes available, but welcomes the harvester approval as a step in the right direction.
“We consider this a good news story today,” she says.
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