Canada enhances Wolastoq/Saint John River health with $2.3 million investment in science and nutrient reduction

February 28, 2026 – Fredericton, New Brunswick 

The Government of Canada announced 14 projects receiving funding under the Wolastoq/Saint John River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative in 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. 

The Wolastoq/Saint John River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative funds outcome-focused initiatives that address at least one of the three program priorities:

• Nutrient Reduction 
• Advancing Science and Knowledge
• Enhancing Indigenous knowledge, capacity building and engagement 

2025-2026 Recipients:  

Association des riverains du lac St-François  
Project: Amélioration de la qualité de l'eau et de la santé écologique du bassin versant de la rivière St-François (Water quality and ecosystem health improvement in the St-François River watershed) 
Funding amount: $100,000 over 3 years 
Description: This project will implement an integrated watershed management approach in the St. Francis River tributary of the Wolastoq/Saint John River to increase knowledge of the impacts of excess nutrients and contaminants of emerging concern.  A coordinated action plan will be developed with the area’s stakeholders to improve water quality and aquatic ecosystem health.  

Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) Saint John Inc. 
Project: Sustainable Solutions: Nutrient Reduction through Urban Stormwater Management in the lower Wolastoq 
Funding amount: $199,800 over 3 years 
Description: This project will improve ecosystem and freshwater health by reducing nutrient loading in the Greater Saint John Region of the Wolastoq/Saint John River. This will be accomplished through the implementation of green infrastructure measures at several sites within the watershed, including stormwater retention and/or diversion projects such as bioswales, rain gardens, and retention ponds.   

Belleisle Watershed Coalition Inc. 
Project: Assessment of Pre- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Surface Waters of the Lower Wolastoq/Saint John River 
Funding amount: $132,948 over 3 years 
Description: This project will assess per- and polyfluroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the lower Wolastoq/Saint John River. PFAS are classified as “forever chemicals,” and are an increasing concern due to widespread use and long-term persistence in the environment. Findings will be communicated to local communities to increase knowledge and raise awareness on the impact of PFAS contamination in aquatic ecosystems.   

Maliseet Nation Conservation Council 
Project: Advancing Science and Indigenous Knowledge for Improving Water Quality in the Wolastoq (St. John River) and Addressing Nutrient Pollution, Harmful Algal Blooms, and Ecosystem Health 
Funding amount: $195,000 over 2 years 
Description: This project will advance scientific research and integrate Indigenous knowledge to assess and address the impacts of excess nutrients, harmful algal blooms, and pollutants on the water quality and ecosystem health of the Wolastoq/Saint John River. Wolastoqey community members will be trained to conduct water quality monitoring and analysis throughout the watershed, to increase knowledge about the river while supporting Indigenous capacity building. Community consultations and cultural mapping will gather Indigenous knowledge about nutrient inputs and harmful algal blooms, which will be integrated with Western science to provide a holistic assessment of water quality in the river.    

Nature New Brunswick  
Project: Agricultural Edge: Protecting Freshwater Through Sustainable Riparian Buffers on Farms 
Funding amount: 100,000 over 3 years 
Description: The project will engage farmers and landowners to establish enhanced farming practices which will reduce nutrient inputs and improve the freshwater health of the Wolastoq/Saint John River. This will be accomplished through riparian restoration such as buffer zones, the development of riparian management plans, and community outreach.   

St. John River Society Inc. 
Project: A Watershed-Based Approach to Assessing Point and Non-Point Nutrient Loads in the Wolastoq/St. John River 
Funding amount: $129,909 over 3 years   
Description: This project will build a Nutrient Flow Model for the Wolastoq/Saint John River, building on a previous version, to include seasonal variations of river flows and to better understand nutrient contributions from the river’s tributaries. It will use existing water quality data and collect new data on non-point source nutrients, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and potential endocrine disruptors (system is in charge of creating and releasing hormones).  The project will enhance knowledge of overall nutrient inputs to the river, identifying areas of concern for further action on nutrient reduction.    

2024-2025 Recipients: 

Atlantic Coastal Action Program Saint John Inc.  
Project: Determining sources of pollution in the Greater Saint John area of the Wolastoq watershed 
Funding amount: $172,245 over 3 years 
Description: This project will conduct water quality monitoring within the city of Saint John’s urban waterways and analyze point-sources of nutrient and fecal bacterial impacts on water quality. A water quality report will inform citizens of the state of their urban waterways and recommend actions for better management to reduce these pollutants. 

Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation 
Project: Skitkomiqey nutankeyutikecik - Using bivalves as Indigenous bioindicators of contamination to understand harmful pollutants in the Wolastoq 
Funding amount: $200,000 over 3 years 
Description: This project will explore and develop a novel Indigenous bioindicator – freshwater mussel feces – to test for pollutants and/or nutrients in the Wolastoq/Saint John River watershed. Weaving Western science with Indigenous Knowledge, this project will train local Indigenous workers in bivalve bioindicator analysis and monitoring and increase public awareness and engagement on the importance of water quality protection. 

Hammond River Angling Association Inc. 
Project: Blooming into Real-Time Action: A Multi-Partner Approach to Real-Time Cyanobacteria Genera Identification and Cyanobacteria Bloom Prediction Throughout the Wolastoq-Saint John River Watershed. 
Funding amount: $228,202 over 2 years 
Description: This project will create a real-time, pan-watershed approach to cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) data collection with the deployment of Algae Trackers using a multi-partner network. The resulting data will enable the early detection of harmful algal bloom formation and identify the stressors and risks that trigger the formation of cyanobacteria. The public will be engaged on how to identify cyanobacteria, and how to keep harmful substances from entering waterways. 

Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee 
Project: Reducing Nutrient Loading Through Implementing agriculture beneficial management practices on the Kennebecasis tributary of the Wolastoq/Saint John River. 
Funding amount: $106,996 over 3 years 
Description: This project will reduce the amount of nutrients and pesticides that run off farms into nearby waterways by encouraging and implementing beneficial farming practices such as keeping natural buffer zones near water (riparian setbacks), rotating grazing pastures, using alternative water sources, reducing stormwater run-off, and pollinator planting. Farm tours will be offered to agricultural partners across New Brunswick to promote the adoption of these practices. The project will also develop a tool to assess the health of riparian areas—those natural zones along rivers and streams. This tool will help measure how well these areas prevent erosion, keep stream temperatures stable, and reduce pollution entering the water.  

MakeWay Charitable Society 
Project: Community Crafted Clean Wolastoq 
Funding amount: $177,361 over 3 years 
Description: This project will support the development of new community-based water quality monitoring programs that fill data gaps in the Wolastoq/Saint John River watershed. Capacity-building programs will be delivered, including hands-on water monitoring workshops and toolkits to groups in data-deficient regions.   

Maliseet Nation Conservation Council 
Project: Cyanobacteria in the Wolastoq: Examining cyanotoxin potential and the role of nutrients and stress 
Funding amount: $181,930 over 3 years 
Description: This project will survey water quality, microbial diversity, and toxin potential, while testing new methods of cyanobacteria detection.  It will also explore how environmental stressors may affect the production of anatoxins by bottom-dwelling cyanobacteria. Traditional Knowledge from Wolastoqey Elders/Knowledge keepers will be collected to complement Western science and increase overall knowledge on conditions that lead to harmful algal blooms. 

Mount Allison University 
Project: Lakes as sentinels of environmental change in the Wolastoq watershed 
Funding amount: $194,500 over 3 years 
Description: This project will improve knowledge of historic dissolved oxygen concentrations and related algal production trends in lakes within the Wolastoq/Saint John River watershed. Core sediment samples will be used to better understand lake health over time and identify potential causes of the proliferation of harmful algal blooms. 

New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council 
Project: Ntôpom Awâsis - Revitalizing Waters: An Indigenous Approach to Enhancing Water Quality 
Funding amount: $209,000 over 3 years 
Description: This project will integrate Western scientific research and Indigenous knowledge to identify key threats to the ecological health of the Wolastoq/Saint John River watershed. New methods to integrate Two-Eyed Seeing into Western water quality monitoring protocols will be explored.  Through community engagement and capacity building, the project aims to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable resource management practices within the watershed.