AN OVERVIEW
OUR MANDATE MISSION
Our mandate is to assess the health of the watershed and address regional land and water issues in a cooperative, long-term planned approach.
The WIWD manages and protects water resources in Manitoba's Interlake region while promoting sustainable practices for environmental and community well-being.
OUR HISTORY
The West Interlake Watershed Conservation District was established in June 2008 with a population of approximately 7854 watershed residents, and covers an area of 6,948 square kilometres.
The district renamed as a West Interlake Watershed District (WIWD) in January 2020.
WHAT IS A WATERSHED?
A watershed (or drainage basin) is an area of land which acts like a funnel, collects precipitation as it falls and funnels it into a creek/river and ultimately into a lake or ocean. Each watershed is separated topographically from adjacent watersheds by a geographical barrier such as a ridge, hill or mountain. Watersheds drain into other watersheds in a hierarchical pattern, with smaller sub watersheds combining into larger watersheds.
THE LANDSCAPE
The landscape is flat to gently undulating, dotted with different size water bodies or ‘potholes’. Tributaries, creeks and channels flow west through these numerous wetlands and sloughs on their way to Lake Manitoba. Agriculture, hay and ranch lands are the dominant land use in the WIWD with many landowners having livestock operations.
The WIWD strives to be the lead local watershed organization, bringing a holistic and sustainable management perspective to issues affecting surface and groundwater quality and quantity. The WIWD is comprised of watershed residents that are divided into Sub Districts based on sub watershed boundaries.
