New projects to improve the health of Lake Erie and the Detroit River have financial backing from the federal government.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority's projects will get $15-million from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change's Great Lakes Fresh Water Ecosystem Initiative.
Two habitat projects are planned for the Detroit River Area of Concern.
It plans to restore a former wetland that disappeared south of Fighting Island by installing off-shore rock berms to protect wetland bird and fish habitats and slow the island's erosion.
The second is rehabilitating a dyke protecting the River Canard wetlands.
"These two important projects will enable the Habitat Beneficial Use Impairment of the Detroit River to be removed, bringing it one step closer to being delisted as an Area of Concern," said ERCA Board Chair Jim Morrison.
The funding will also allow ERCA to start restoration work at the barrier beach at the Hillman Marsh. That barrier will be transformed to withstand higher lake levels and storm events.
"Without this significant investment from the Government of Canada these major projects would not be able to proceed," said Morrison. "With increasingly violent storm events, erosion, and other issues related to our rapidly changing climate, the importance of expediently implementing these protective and restorative measures cannot be overstated."
The fourth project is the Essex Region Nutrient Reduction Program. ERCA will work with farmers to reduce the use of nutrients in their fields and by extension, nutrient runoff into waterways.
