Management of manure applications to protect surface waters in the climate of the Canadian prairies presents a unique challenge. Rainfall-generated runoff events are relatively rare on the prairies and most surface water recharge is a result of spring snowmelt. Snowmelt runoff events differ hydrologically and chemically from rainfall-runoff events. Nutrient concentrations (total and soluble reactive P, ammonia, nitrate and dissolved organic C) and counts of fecal coliform bacteria were measured in samples of snowmelt runoff from small watersheds at 2 sites in Saskatchewan, Canada. The watersheds represented different rates of manure injection and at one site also represented different levels of soil disturbance during injection. Results, from the study to date, indicate that fall manure applications do impact nutrient concentrations in snowmelt runoff. Manure applications at recommended rates had generally minimal impacts while elevated application rates caused more significant increases in nutrient concentrations in runoff. The timing of manure applications was found to be critical. Manure injected just prior to freeze-up and an emergency winter surface application resulted in environmentally unsustainable nutrient concentrations in snowmelt runoff. Fecal coliform counts did not appear to be affected by manure application.