“Since the late 1980s, the Niagara River has been identified as one of 43 severely degraded locations in the Great Lakes, called Areas of Concern, (leading to) the development of locally driven Remedial Action Plans (RAPs).”
News from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority in Niagara, Ontario
Posted September 16th, 2020 on Niagara At Large
Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is pleased to announce the receipt of federal funding through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Great Lakes Protection Initiative.
The NPCA will receive $140,000 throughout the next two years to support collaboration, coordination, and involvement toward improving the Niagara River’s water quality and ecosystem health.
“The Government of Canada is pleased to support projects like these that lead to innovation and action on the ground, and positive, measurable results in our Great Lakes. We value these efforts to ensure Canadians have safe and secure fresh water, which is critical for human health, the environment, and the economy,” said The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Since the late 1980s, the Niagara River has been identified as one of 43 severely degraded locations in the Great Lakes, called Areas of Concern. The Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health called for the development of locally driven Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) to guide the efforts toward restoring water quality and ecosystem health at these locations.
Chandra Sharma, CAO and Secretary-Treasurer at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
The NPCA has been an active participant in the Niagara River RAP since its inception and became the host organization for coordinating activities in 1999.
“This funding is critical for the NPCA to continue leading the efforts to improve the Niagara River alongside our local partners,” explained Chandra Sharma, CAO and Secretary-Treasurer at NPCA. “We’re proud to be fostering collaboration and information exchange between partners and the public through this important initiative.”
The Niagara River RAP partners continue to work together on remaining actions necessary to address five remaining ecosystem challenges related to fish consumption advisories, the degradation of fish and wildlife populations, water quality related to swimming, contaminated sediment, and habitat loss. The goal is to remove the Niagara River from the list of Great Lakes’ Areas of Concern.
To learn more about the Niagara River Remedial Action Plan, visit www.ourniagarariver.ca .
For information about the Great Lakes Protection Initiative, visit Canada.ca/great-lakes-protection.
About Niagara River Remedial Action Plan (RAP) – he Niagara River RAP is a community-based initiative that involves various organizations (federal, provincial, municipal government, First Nations, Métis Nation of Ontario, the NPCA, non-government organizations, scientists, and interested citizens) working together to restore and protect water quality and ecosystem health in the Niagara River.
For more information, visit www.ourniagarariver.ca
This project is being undertaken, in part, with the financial support of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
About NPCA – The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is a community-based natural resource management agency that works to protect, enhance, and sustain healthy watersheds. With 60 years of experience, the NPCA offers watershed programs and services that focus on flood and hazard management, source water protection, species protection, ecosystem restoration, community stewardship, and land management.
For more information about the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, please visit www.npca.ca .
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