Photo courtesy of LTVCA

Efforts to protect local waterways from phosphorous runoff received a big financial shot in the arm from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

The Thames River Phosphorous Reduction Collaborative got a cheque for nearly $200,000 dollars.

The algae blooms that have shown up in the Thames and Lake Erie are a direct result of the runoff, and they hope the continued placement of monitoring devices at the edge of fields will help collect data and eventually end the issue.

Canada and the U.S. made an agreement in 2016 to a 40 per cent reduction in the total phosphorous entering Lake Erie, and the Thames River.

PRC represents several groups including municipalities, First Nations, and the drainage sector.

Details of the collaborative, and its work can be found at www.thamesriverprc.com