The effect on the Assiniboine River with respect to its ability to assimilate treated effluent is not as well-known as it is generally thought to be. The environmental limits put onto the wastewater treatment facilities that use the Assiniboine River as a receiving stream are based on good engineering practice and sound biological principles, however the assimilative capacity of the river for some characteristics is not known. An example of this is the river’s ability to assimilate nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous.
To this end the City embarked upon a study to create a model of the river to better understand the river’s ability to assimilate waste loads. The study area is from Brandon to Portage la Prairie and the study was started in 1999 and continues today. The study has started the province is now constructing a similar model from Lake of The Prairies to Brandon and Portage la Prairie is conducting a similar model for Portage to Headingly. There is a group formed of all three parties as well as Manitoba Conservation to co-ordinate the efforts of the three groups. The model will be used as both a regulatory tool as well as a management tool.