** NOTICE: THE 2024 ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS IS FULLY DISTRIBUTED.**
ALL applicants will be waitlisted until the release of 2025 funds. If you have questions about the BMP program or your application, please contact the LTVCA Agriculture Stewardship Specialist at [email protected], or the Agriculture Program Coordinator at [email protected].
New agriculture funding available for Chatham-Kent farmers combatting algal bloom growth within the Lower Thames River Watershed.
The Lower Thames River Watershed Precision Phosphorus Reduction Program (PPRP) is a four-year, multi-part project presented by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA). Applications for funding opened in November 2024 and run to 2028.
LTVCA’s PPRP is one of fifty projects funded by The Canada Clean Water Agency to work towards reducing phosphorus in Lake Erie. The program, delivered through the federal Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative for Toxic and Nuisance Algae from Environment Climate Change Canada, will address regional environmental concerns of reducing excess phosphorus nutrient loading to the Great Lakes through Lake Erie Basin from the Lower Thames River.
Chatham-Kent is a recognized leader in Ontario agriculture. Crops of over 70 varieties are grown locally, says the Municipality. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth and soil health. The issue does not actually arise from using phosphorus, but the aftermath of excess phosphorus reaching our waterways.