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Fisheries committee I can just comment that Alberta's Ministry of Environment and Parks is currently working on some rapid response plans for invasive mussel species in Alberta water bodies. That is in process right now.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee Yes, we get zero funding. Everything that we have—
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee Most of that irrigation infrastructure is owned and operated by the irrigation districts, so we anticipate that the irrigation districts would be bearing the cost of treatment on that infrastructure.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee That's correct.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee I would just add that there may be an opportunity to generate funds through the licensing system of watercraft through Transport Canada as well, in order to assist with funding the various programs associated with aquatic invasive species in the future.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee As I mentioned, about 53% of our irrigation distribution system is now in underground pipelines. That has been ongoing for many years. The reason for doing it is to increase water efficiencies and ensure that we're making the best use of the water. In terms of mussels getting established in our irrigation reservoirs, our pipelines in effect draw off of those irrigation reservoirs that store that water and distribute it.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee We're probably at about $3.6 billion, when considering canals, pipelines and all the control structures in those canals.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee There has been some initial research, which was done in collaboration with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, using potash to treat irrigation pipelines. That would entail ensuring that the potash was mixed with the water in the appropriate concentration, injecting that mixture into the pipeline and holding that concentration for a minimum period of time to ensure that there would be appropriate killing of the mussels that may be in that pipeline.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee The biggest threat to us is the transportation of mussels via trailered watercraft. More specifically, our international border is not really tight enough to those trailered watercraft that are coming in from states in the south that are infested with zebra and quagga mussels. Though the Government of Alberta has worked with Canadian border services to try to identify high-risk trailered watercraft crossing the border, the onus is still on the Government of Alberta to try to track down and hopefully see one of those high-risk trailered watercraft show up at a provincial inspection station.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback
Fisheries committee Good afternoon, and thank you for inviting me to speak to the committee today. My name is Margo Jarvis Redelback. I am the executive director of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association. The association has represented the interests of Alberta's 13 irrigation districts since 1946.
May 6th, 2019Committee meeting
Margo Jarvis Redelback