The Thames
River Phosphorus Reduction Collaborative (PRC) has a plan to reduce farm-generated
phosphorous pollution of Lake Erie. Now it needs money.
“We have
involved a lot of skilled people who are eager to do their part to improve
local water quality and help resolve this issue,” said Randy Hope, Mayor of
Chatham-Kent and the project’s co-chair. “What we need is financial backing so
we can get on with the job.”
The PRC
steering committee, meeting recently in Woodstock, approved the proposed
implementation plan, budget and financing strategy.
Next the
PRC will proceed with nine demonstration projects, subject to financing,
including:
- Three edge of field phosphorus removal
projects;
- Three in-field blind inlet phosphorus
removal project, and
- Three treatment technologies in the
municipal drain system.
The western
basin of Lake Erie has experienced several algal bloom incidents in recent
years, disrupting the ecosystem, causing the closure of beaches and even, in
Toledo, Ohio, a ban on city drinking water for two days.
Lake St.
Clair, which is an indirect pathway, has also been experiencing problems with
near-shore algal blooms, and last year, they were discovered in the Thames
River at Chatham.
The PRC is
among the principal voluntary initiatives included in the Canada-Ontario Action Plan released recently.
The Action
Plan is aimed at meeting the 2016 commitment between Canada and the U.S. to a
40 per cent reduction in the total phosphorus entering Lake Erie.
There is
also a commitment among Ohio, Michigan and Ontario to reduce phosphorus to the
western basin by 40 per cent by 2025.
“As
farmers, our commitment to taking care of the land and water is strong, which
is why we’re working collaboratively to find and use the best, most affordable
and practical drainage and water management solutions,” said Mark Reusser,
co-chair of the PRC and vice-president of the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture.
The PRC
represents agricultural organizations, municipalities, conservation
authorities, First Nations, drainage professionals, and environmental
non-governmental organizations.
