Phosphorus reduction pilot project unveiled

Colin Little, agricultural program coordinator with the Lower Thames valley Conservation Authority, provided media with the details of a phosphorus reduction pilot project being undertaken to decrease the amount of the chemical entering the Thames River and Lake Erie (Submitted photo)

A pilot project designed to minimize algae blooms in Lake Erie through the reduction of phosphorus from local farms was unveiled at the farm of Louis Roesch earlier this week.

The system involves collection and analysis of field runoff, which is then filtered before entering drains and eventually the Thames River and the lake.

The three-year project is part of a plan to reduce phosphorus levels in the lake by 40 per cent. Partners include Chatham-Kent, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA), Ontario Federation of Agriculture, and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

The project involves similar efforts by American states bordering the lake.

Last week the Thames River Phosphorus Reduction Collaborative (PRC) received $600,000 from the federal Great Lakes Protection Initiative to develop and test technologies that intercept and remove phosphorus from agricultural runoff. Phosphorus entering the system contributes to the growth of harmful algal blooms in the Thames River and Lake Erie.

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