Province vows to save Lake Winnipeg

Faced with a warning that Lake Winnipeg could be rendered a toxic pool, the province vowed Tuesday to fast-track a strategy to save it.The Selinger government will lay out a strategy in the coming days to save Lake Winnipeg after the release of a five-year study that paints a grim picture of the 10th-largest body of fresh water in the world.The study, led by University of Regina biologist Peter Leavitt, recommended that phosphorus levels in the lake be cut in half.He placed most of the blame for rising algae levels in the lake on intensive crop and livestock production in Manitoba."If you're looking for things that you need to regulate to improve water quality, there's your smoking gun," Leavitt told a news conference Tuesday.Researchers examined lake-bottom sediment and analyzed agricultural production data and other information in reaching their conclusions. Levels of lake-bottom mud yield a wealth of information, much like tree rings, Leavitt said.