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New funding from the federal government will help local conservation authorities tackle another problem facing the Great Lakes this summer: toxic and nuisance algae.

Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna announced $1.06 million in additional funding toward 10 Great Lakes conservation projects last Wednesday.

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In Southwestern Ontario, the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) and the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority received project funding. The programs are both geared at phosphorus management, the runoff of which can contribute to damaging algae blooms forming in the lakes.

“Phosphorus is the food that feeds the algae,” said Katie Stammler, water quality scientist with the ERCA. “The harmful algal blooms are right at our back door in the Essex region. It’s top of mind as it has an impact on our tourism and recreation.”

The ERCA will receive $170,000 over three years to support phosphorus load reductions to Lake Erie. This adds to a previously granted $600,000 that targeted farm water runoff in the area.

“What’s unique for us is that we are very, very flat, and we have heavy clay soils,” Stammler said. “The best management practices that work in other places may not work for us.”

Leamington’s tributaries have the highest concentration of phosphorus in the province, Stammler said, making the area a priority watershed.

The newly announced funding builds on $44.84 million already provided by the federal government in 2018 to 36 partner-led programs as part of the Great Lakes Protection Initiative.

Last year, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) received $600,000 over four years from the initiative. London-based Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) received the same amount for a project focusing on Medway Creek.

Both conservation authorities are working on programs that engage farmers in phosphorus reduction processes, such as cover crops and best management practices.

“The Thames River is a major source of runoff to western Lake Erie,” said Brad Glasman, manager of conservation services at UTRCA. “Farms typically don’t have a lot of phosphorus coming off, but the fact that we have thousands and thousands of acres — it adds up.”

Agriculture is the primary source of phosphorus in Canada, according to Sandra George, program coordinator for Great Lakes Harmful Pollutants with Environment and Climate Change Canada.