New federal funding is being used to address the release of phosphorus from the Sydenham River into Lake Erie.
The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) will receive $7.85 million over four years from the Canada Water Agency to fund the Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative.
The initiative will offer funding and educational opportunities to landowners interested in implementing or enhancing agricultural best management practices on their properties, such as windbreaks, cover crops, and wetland restoration.
According to SCRCA, these measures can reduce phosphorus entering the waterway, reduce soil erosion, protect water quality, increase crop yields, and potentially decrease the need for fertilizer.
Conservation officials said the Sydenham River Watershed is the third-largest Canadian contributor to phosphorus loads in Lake Erie, due to pollution from widespread sources such as agricultural and rural runoff. More than 80 per cent of the St. Clair Region watershed is comprised of agricultural land.