Pope National Wildlife Area Spillway Replacement Project

The Proposed Project

The Pope National Wildlife Area (NWA) contains a Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) wetland project that is co-managed with the Canadian Wildlife Service. DUC is proposing to remove the concrete spillway and replace it with a rock spillway of a similar size, with the same operating level, within the Pope National Wildlife Area (NWA).

The Pope NWA, which is administered under the Wildlife Area Regulations of the Canada Wildlife Act, was designated in 1974. The 30-hectare NWA contains approximately 16 hectares of freshwater wetlands. The water control infrastructure, which includes an earthen dam, a concrete control structure in the middle of the dam and an earthen/concrete emergency spillway, was built by Canadian National Railway in 1926 to hold back water for refilling steam engines. In 1967, DUC was given control of the area to manage the reservoir for conservation of waterfowl and wildlife.

The scope of this project includes:

  • Removal of the aged concrete spillway and replacement with a similarly sized rock spillway that will hold the same historic project water levels.

The proposed work will be completed in fall 2025. Works will occur after September 15 to leave the area undisturbed during the migratory bird breeding season and spring fish spawning season. Any disturbance to migratory birds and other wildlife will be minimal. All exposed soil surfaces will be seeded with suitable grass species and other riparian species in the fall 2025 and spring 2026.

More

Latest update

May 08, 2025 - The assessment decision statement has been issued to the proponent.

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Key documents

Key documents
Document number Document title File Date
2 Notice of Determination - May 8, 2025
1 Notice of Intent - Pope National Wildlife Area Spillway Replacement Project - October 25, 2024

Contacts

Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Jeffrey Harder, Protected Areas Specialist
115 Perimeter Road
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4
Telephone: 306-241-0411
Email: jeffrey.harder@ec.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Pope National Wildlife Area (Manitoba)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Water Management
    • Dams and reservoirs

  • Assessment Status

    Completed

  • Start Date

    2024-10-25

  • Proponent

    Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada

  • Authorities

    • Environment and Climate Change Canada

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    88997

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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