Our History

The Pembina Valley Conservation District (PVCD) was officially established by Order in Council on October 2, 1989, after four years of negotiations between local municipalities. The original members were the Rural Municipalities of Lorne, Louise, Pembina and Thompson. Pembina Valley was the sixth CD to be formed in Manitoba since 1972. There have since been twelve more additions. 

The primary reasons for forming the Pembina Valley Conservation District involved concerns with the loss of valuable topsoil through wind and water erosion in the area. Water shortages for local farmers, and erosion of municipal roads, have also been persistent problems. The establishment and operation of a CD has provided local landowners with technical and financial assistance to participate in the kind of soil and water conservation programs that they feel are needed.

With the announcement of Municipal Amalgamations in 2014, the PVCD's partners changed somewhat. Our urban partners were kept intact, with the addition of the Villages of Somerset and Notre Dame de Lourdes. The Municipality of Pembina, R.M. of Stanley, R.M. of Thompson, Municipality of Louise, R.M. of Lorne, Cartwright-Roblin Municipality and City of Morden were all still members.

Effective January 1, 2020 the Province of Manitoba proclaimed The Watershed District Act. According to the Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard,  “Our government is committed to becoming Canada’s cleanest, greenest, most climate-resilient province, and an important part of achieving that goal is to ensure the sustainability of our wetlands and watershed today, and for generations to come.”

With this proclamation the Pembina Valley Conservation District became known as the Pembina Valley Watershed District (PVWD).  We became a true watershed based approach to watershed management in Manitoba.

Our Rural Municipal Members