Red River may be to blame for contamination in Lake Winnipeg

(WDAY TV) - Fargo leaders are calling a trip to Winnipeg a learning lesson. The issue at hand is what's leading to contamination in Lake Winnipeg. Since the Red River flows into the lake, some Canadians fear it may be to blame for the lake's problems. WDAY 6 Reporter Christina Vaughn joins us live with more.

The State Health Department and members of the Red River Basin Board went on today's tour. Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker was also along, the Red River flows into Lake Winnipeg.

Recent high levels of phosphorus are raising a lot of questions. Is the Red leading to contamination to the fisheries? Leaders from here went to Canada to check in on the matter. Crews are using GPS to test water, raise awareness, and develop a track record of phosphate levels. They are trying to see if land, chemicals, or the red is leading to those high levels.

“It’s a process where they have a very sophisticated staffing process where they have 65 areas in the lake where they test the minnows, the fish and so forth and they also test the water quality.”

Walaker says the leaders didn't learn a lot from the tour. Most of recommendations or causes won't be known until a report is released this fall. As for the safety of the water here, Walaker says there's no reason to be concerned. The water is safe and treated properly.

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