Helping improve stormwater management
EcoAction funds to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation to add urban, rural stormwater improvements for Lake Huron
Environment and Climate Change Canada announces $4.3 million in funding support for 58 EcoAction Community Funding Program projects taking place across country;
EcoAction to provide $100,000 to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation to support projects by local landowners to improve urban, rural stormwater management
The Government of Canada has announced $4.3 million in Canadian funding to support 58 new EcoAction Community Funding Program projects across the country.
The announced EcoAction funding includes $100,000 to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation for a three-year project that helps urban and rural landowners to make stormwater improvements that benefit Lake Huron.
Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced the EcoAction funding on October 11, 2018. The funds will support concrete local action to help fight and adapt to climate change and to educate and engage Canadians in preserving and conserving water including the Great Lakes.
“We are proud to support community groups that are taking action to preserve water resources and promote energy-efficient practices,” said Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, in a news release.
“The Canadian EcoAction Community Funding for the Urban and Rural Stormwater Improvements for Lake Huron Project will make it possible to work with rural and urban landowners in our area to complete on-the-ground projects that improve stormwater management to keep our Great Lake great,” said Bob Radtke, Chair of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation (ABCF).
EcoAction projects support communities across the country in protecting the environment and growing the economy by conserving water resources, adapting to climate change, and reducing pollution.
The Urban and Rural Stormwater Improvements (URSI) for Lake Huron project will complete nine stormwater improvement projects over three years (2018-2020) in Ausable Bayfield watersheds along Lake Huron’s southeast shore.
The stormwater improvement projects will include creation of water retention areas at the edge of agricultural fields, wetland enhancement, and riparian plantings on the banks of creeks, drains, and rivers. The local project will also educate community members about making stormwater management improvements on their properties. The funding will also make it possible to create a community rain garden.
The local stormwater improvements made in the project should hold back more than 80 kilograms per year of potential pollutants in order to reduce impacts on Lake Huron. The project plans to improve and stabilize more than six hectares of shoreline; implement management and restoration actions in more than eight hectares; and plant more than 10,000 native plants, trees and shrubs. About 2,500 people will be engaged in activities related to the stormwater improvements project. Hundreds of student volunteers will be taking part in planting events or educational activities. There are economic benefits as well through projects completed and jobs created.
The Urban and Rural Stormwater Improvements for Lake Huron project is to provide improved water storage capacity on the landscape. Improved water storage capacity in the watershed can reduce erosion and filter excess nutrients. This can help to protect and improve water quality in creeks, rivers, groundwater, and Lake Huron.
If you would like to find out about funding and technical support to help you improve stormwater management on your property, in Ausable Bayfield watersheds along Lake Huron's southeast shore, please call Angela Van Niekerk, Wetland Specialist with Ausable Bayfield Conservation, at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
The EcoAction projects across Canada are forecasted to protect, stabilize, or improve up to 8,558 hectares of shoreline; reduce or divert 30,020,280 kilograms of toxic or harmful waste; and reduce water consumption by 60,925,140 litres – the equivalent of what 685 Canadians consume in a year. The projects are also forecasted to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 7,127 tonnes across Canada. This reduction would be the equivalent of removing 1,526 passenger vehicles off the road for one year.
The 58 funded EcoAction projects are expected to reach 119,811 Canadians. Since 1995, EcoAction has approved more than $115 million in funding for 3,150 projects that engage Canadians in direct activities to protect water, soil, and habitat. Since 2006, EcoAction has helped engage more than 2.5 million Canadians in environmental activities. For every dollar received through EcoAction, approximately $1.87 is leveraged from other funding partners.
The EcoAction program supports projects across Canada. In addition to the Urban and Rural Stormwater Improvements for Lake Huron Project there is a number of other funded projects taking place along or near the southeast shore of Lake Huron.
Other projects, supported by the funding, in the area of Lake Huron's southeast shore include:
- $86,150 to Pine River Watershed Initiative Network for their work in this priority southeast shore area to Increase Habitat Availability and Water Storage Capacity in the Pine River Watershed
- $43,420 to the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association for their work Reviving a Productive Coldwater Stream in a Unique Karst Drainage System, Bruce Peninsula
- $85,791 to the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority for the Fertile Fields and Clean Streams project
- $93,272 to Georgian Bay Forever for the Divert and Capture – The Fight Against Microplastics in our Water project.
To find out more please visit the following links:
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Ce projet a été réalisé avec l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada agissant par l’entremise du ministère fédéral de l’Environnement et du Changement
