Environment Canada has announced an additional $2.8 million will be provided to 43 projects to clean up Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes. The funding will be part of Canada’s Great Lakes Action Plan.

‘Areas of Concern’ are those parts of the Great Lakes that have been most severely affected by population growth, agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and other climate related changes.

The Great Lakes Sustainability Fund, established 10 years ago, was designed to fund projects such as the restoration of fish and wildlife habitats and to control pollution from municipal wastewaters.

The 43 projects will be spread across 11 different Areas of Concern.

Six of these projects are in the Hamilton Harbour Area. The Government is committing $338,000 to improve water quality. Poor water conditions have led to beach closings, excessive sediment contamination, and impairments of fish and wildlife populations. The money will go toward watershed rehabilitation, aquatic barrier mitigations and improving the overall quality of the water.

Projects in the Bay of Quinte area will focus on fish and wildlife rehabilitation, while projects in the St. Clair River area will focus on restoring natural shorelines. Groups in the Detroit River area will receive finds to improve rural runoff water quality.

Some of the groups to receive funds are Ontario Streams, the Hamilton Conservation Authority, the Bay Area Restoration Council, Conservation Halton and the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Funding recipients were chosen for their technical merit, cost-effectiveness and the extent to which their projects met the Ministry’s priorities.

Environment Minister Peter Kent said yesterday (March 7) “safe and secure water is something all Canadians have the right to enjoy.”

The Great Lakes contain 20 per cent of the world’s surface freshwater supply and provide social and economic benefits to over 40 million people on both sides of the border. Over $330 billion in cross border trade between the Canada and the U.S. transits the Great lakes each year.