But I don't want to come up with a policy decision that really impacts the agriculture industry unfairly and removes their global competitiveness. The 200 page report found that phosphorus levels routinely exceed Alberta's phosphorus standards of .05 milligrams per litre more than 80 percent of the time. Samples were taken from areas classed as high and medium intensive agricultural zones, based on livestock numbers and spending on fertilizers and chemicals. The report also includes a detailed snapshot of the cause of nutrient overloading in Alberta by looking at runoff from cattle wintering grounds and tilled fields in a two-year study of Haynes Creek east of Red Deer. Those findings suggest that feedlots cow-calf operations, seasonal feeding areas and improper manure disposal have the potential to pollute rivers and streams at a level much greater than anticipated.
Water quality is everything.
It's as simple as that. The nutrients highlighted in the stream survey have also begun to clog water treatment plants throughout central and southern Alberta. But these findings on frequency are inconclusive because they don't say whether concentrations are going up or down over time, said Thompson. Anne-Marie Anderson, a scientist with the Water Sciences Branch of Alberta Environmental Protection, oversaw the studies' preparation. Areas of highest agricultural use and highest pollution tended to concentrate in central Alberta where streams experience low runoff.