Feds kick in $600K to decrease phosphorus, agri-runoff in Lake Erie

The federal Great Lakes Protection Initiative is kicking $600,000to develop and test technologies that intercept and remove phosphorus from agricultural runoff in southwestern Ontario.

The Thames River Phosphorus Reduction Collaborative sayphosphorus entering the system contributes to the growth of harmful algal blooms in the Thames River and Lake Erie.

"Mayors and farm groups have joined forces to find solutions to algal bloom problems in the Lake Erie basin," said Randy Hope, Mayor of Chatham-Kent and the project's co-chair, in a press statement.

"We're thrilled that Minister McKenna has provided the kind of funding that will allow us to move forward with practical, hands-on projects to help farmers and municipalities reduce the amount ofphosphorusthat's getting into our creeks, rivers and lakes."

Beginning this fall, and over the next four years, it will be using the funding to install phosphorus removal technologies and monitor their effectiveness.

The western basin of Lake Erie has regularly experienced massive algal growth that has impacted drinking water sources in recent years.