Through the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund (GLSF), the Government of Canada supports projects to clean up each of Canada’s 14 remaining Areas of Concern or “degraded areas” within the Great Lakes Basin.
Since 1989, the GLSF has contributed approximately $110 million to more than 900 partnered projects to improve water quality in these areas. In 2013-2014, the GLSF provided $1.88 million for 31 projects. This investment leveraged a minimum of $3.76 million from other partners towards these projects, ensuring a total investment of at least $5.64 million.
Areas of Concern have been designated by the Governments of Canada and the United States under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Of the 17 Areas of Concern identified on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, three have been restored. In a further two, we have completed remedial actions and are monitoring environmental recovery prior to removing these sites from the list. In all other Canadian Areas of Concern, actions to restore water quality and ecosystem health are well advanced.
Delisted Canadian Areas of Concern:
Environmental quality restored and officially removed from the bi-national list of Areas of Concern
Severn Sound
Collingwood Harbour
Wheatley Harbour
Canadian Areas of Concern in Recovery:
All actions to restore environmental quality have been completed and monitoring to confirm restoration is in progress.
Spanish Harbour
Jackfish Bay
Canadian Areas of Concern:
Thunder Bay
Nipigon Bay
Peninsula Harbour
Hamilton Harbour
Toronto and Region
Port Hope Harbour
Bay of Quinte
Binational Areas of Concern:
St. Lawrence River
Niagara River
St. Marys River
St. Clair River
Detroit River
For more information about the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund, please visit Environment Canada’s Great Lakes Areas of Concern website.
Funded Projects
The following 31 Great Lakes Sustainability Projects total $1.88 million in Government of Canada spending:
Bay of Quinte Area of Concern
Sediment Nutrient Fluxes, Sediment Oxygen Demand and Links to Harmful Algal Blooms ($67,000)
Led by the University of Toronto, the goal of this project was to:
- Generate important data to be used for the development of a phosphorous management strategy, which is a critical action required for delisting the Area of Concern.
Monitoring Habitat and Natural Heritage for Fish and Wildlife Related Impairments to Implement Habitat Management Plans for Changing the Status of the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern ($180,000)
Led by the Lower Trent Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Address Area of Concern delisting criteria regarding the degradation of fish and wildlife populations and the loss of fish and wildlife habitat.
- Monitor coastal wetlands for fish, birds and amphibians, and improve habitat through shoreline restoration programs.
Bay of Quinte Long Term Monitoring Program Development, Taste and Odour Survey ($53,463)
Led by the Quinte Conservation Association, the goal of this project was to:
- Address eutrophication and how it affects drinking water taste and odour, and study algal growth at tributary mouths.
Detroit River Area of Concern
Lafarge Shoreline Fish Habitat Restoration ($100,000)
Led by Lafarge Canada Inc., the goal of this project was to:
- Address the loss of fish and wildlife habitat by constructing 192 metres of naturalized shoreline to control erosion, and enhancing 315 metres of inlet shoreline on Detroit River shoreline property owned by the Windsor Port Authority and leased to Lafarge North America.
Biodiversity Conservation Strategy Implementation ($90,000)
Led by the Essex Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Address the loss of fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality conditions by providing funding support to landowners to create riparian buffers, plant trees, and prevent erosion.
- Educate landowners about septic systems to encourage system maintenance and replacement of faulty septic systems.
Rural Non-Point Source Pollution Remediation Program ($80,000)
Led by the Essex Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Make progress on fish and wildlife habitat protection and rehabilitation priority actions.
- Identify and promote the reduction of pollution from rural agriculture.
Lake Sturgeon Spawning Reef Expansion Project ($100,000)
Led by the Essex Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Address the loss of fish and wildlife habitat and populations.
- Provide fish spawning habitat within the Detroit River by doubling an existing reef to 0.8 hectares to increase spawning habitat for numerous fish species, including Lake Sturgeon and other species.
Weight of Evidence Approach for Assessing Toxicity and Recovery of Priority Pollutants in Sediments of the Huron-Erie Corridor ($31,800)
Led by the University of Windsor, the goal of this project was to:
- Develop and demonstrate a hazard assessment tool to facilitate the assessment of benthic conditions in the Huron-Erie Corridor.
Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern
Hamilton Watersheds Water Quality Strategy ($25,000)
Led by the Hamilton Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Monitor the water quality of Spencer Creek and at the storm sewer outfalls identified as high pollutant contributors to lower Spencer Creek, which empties into the Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern.
Hamilton Harbour Watershed Stewardship Project ($37,215)
Led by the Hamilton Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Promote participation and community engagement by landowners and land users in activities that improve water quality and terrestrial and aquatic habitat, such as well and septic system management, on-line pond mitigation, manure management, livestock access restriction, erosion control, barrier mitigation, stream channel morphology, and habitat enhancement.
Nipigon Bay Area of Concern
Assessment of Coaster Brook Trout Populations within the Nipigon Bay Area of Concern ($18,000)
Led by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the goal of this project was to:
- Monitor and assess the status of brook trout populations and evaluate the success of past restoration activities.
Nipigon Stormwater Management Assessment ($10,000)
Led by Lakehead University, the goal of this project was to:
- Identify ecosystem impairments related to stormwater and identify recommendations to restore and prevent impairments for the development of a stormwater management plan for the Town of Nipigon.
Niagara River Area of Concern
Combined Sewer Overflow Pollution Control Plan Update and Sanitary Sewer System Modeling Study ($75,000)
Led by the Corporation of the City of Welland, the goal of this project was to:
- Provide a pollution control plan for the City of Welland with recommendations to address the discharge of combined sewer overflows into the Welland River, a major tributary to the Niagara River.
Niagara River Bank Stabilization and Dufferin Islands Shoreline Habitat Improvement ($45,000)
Led by the Niagara Parks Commission, the goal of this project was to:
- Create fish habitat on direct tributaries to the Niagara River by protecting the shoreline using bioengineering techniques to reduce erosion along Dufferin Island and at a location between Chippawa and Fort Erie.
Water Quality, Habitat Analysis and Monitoring of Beaver and Miller Creeks ($55,000)
Led by the Corporation of the Town of Fort Erie, the goal of this project was to:
- Evaluate the impact of remediation efforts to a major municipal drain (Beaver Creek) in improving water quality and fish and wildlife habitat conditions.
- Monitor water and habitat quality within Miller Creek and determine critical areas for habitat and water quality improvements.
Niagara River Area of Concern Water Quality and Habitat Improvement Program ($195,000)
Led by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Make progress on fish and wildlife habitat protection and rehabilitation priority actions and promote the reduction of pollution from rural agriculture.
- Improve water quality conditions for fish and wildlife habitat.
Peninsula Harbour Area of Concern
Enhancing Remedial Action Plan (RAP) progress in Peninsula Harbour, Jackfish Bay and Nipigon Bay Areas of Concern ($18,179)
Led by EcoSuperior Environmental Programs, the goal of this project was to:
- Engage the public through a stormwater management outreach educational program for the Nipigon Bay, Peninsula Harbour and Jackfish Bay Areas of Concern.
St. Clair River Area of Concern
St. Clair River Contaminated Sediment Management, Sediment Management Options Assessment ($20,000)
Led by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Complete public, stakeholder and First Nation consultation on the draft Sediment Management Options Report, compile comments and oversee the production of the final report which will be submitted to Environment Canada and the Ministry of the Environment.
St. Clair River/Sydenham River Stewardship Initiative ($120,000)
Led by the Rural Lambton Stewardship Network, the goal of this project was to:
- Contribute towards achieving the fish and wildlife habitat restoration goal of creating 10% wetland coverage and 50% riparian habitat within major tributaries of the Area of Concern.
- Create 20 hectares of wildlife habitat, including five hectares of coastal wetland and forest habitat,and 20 kilometres of riparian fish habitat in the St. Clair River Area of Concern.
Peers Wetland Restoration Project Phase II ($30,000)
Led by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Create 12.9 hectares (31.8 acres) of wildlife habitat including about 6.7 hectares (16.5 acres) of wetland and 2.3 hectares (5.7 acres) of upland forest habitat by restoring the hydrological function of a locally significant wetland.
Managing Sediment and Erosion and Enhancing Fish Habitat in Agricultural Watercourses ($40,000)
Led by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Create fish habitat and improve water quality as part of scheduled agricultural drain maintenance.
- Encourage long-term changes to current drain maintenance practices.
St. Clair River Shoreline Restoration ($130,000)
Led by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Create 200 metres of fish habitat by naturalizing the shoreline with a stone revetment and native vegetation. This project will benefit fish and other aquatic wildlife, prevent shoreline erosion and improve the overall aesthetics of the river’s shoreline.
Swan Lake Marsh Restoration Project ($35,000)
Led by the Walpole Island First Nation, the goal of this project was to:
- Contribute towards achieving a habitat restoration goal of creating, enhancing or restoring 155 hectares of wetland habitat within the delta area of the St. Clair River Area of Concern.
- Refine and implement a restoration plan for Swan Lake Marsh on St. Anne Island owned by Walpole Island First Nation.
- Restore 69.3 hectares of coastal wetland, currently dyked and under pressure from invasive species, agricultural expansion and loss of wetland species.
St. Mary’s River Area of Concern
Water Quality Sampling and Analysis of the St. Mary’s River Area of Concern ($2,785)
Led by Algoma University, the goal of this project was to:
- Assess the status of two beneficial uses—degradation of aesthetics and eutrophication or undesirable algae—to confirm “non-impaired” status.
Thunder Bay Area of Concern
George Creek Rehabilitation Project ($20,000)
Led by North Shore Steelhead Association, the goal of this project was to:
- Advance the recovery of native fish species. Fish habitat restoration will be accomplished by re-naturalizing a cold water creek and planting native vegetation along the surrounding corridor in the Thunder Bay Area of Concern.
Toronto and Region Area of Concern
Toronto and Area Waterfront: An Urban Fisheries Management Plan ($50,000)
Led by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Assist in restoring degraded fish and wildlife populations and loss of fish and wildlife habitats.
Youth and Community Greening the Rouge River Watershed 2013 ($18,441)
Led by Friends of the Rouge Watershed Inc., the goal of this project was to:
- Re-establish upland forest, wetland, meadow and riparian habitat on former agricultural land in Rouge Park by planting forest (9.6 hectares), wetland (3.8 hectares) meadow (0.5 hectares) and riparian (840 metres) areas in Rouge Park.
- Enhance fish habitat on Rouge River and restore wildlife habitat including construction of log piles, raptor posts and bird boxes.
Caledon Headwaters Rehabilitation Initiative ($20,000)
Led by Ontario Streams, the goal of this project was to:
- Protect and restore fish habitat within the headwaters of the Town of Caledon through in-stream habitat enhancement, mitigation of barriers to fish passage, riparian planting, fisheries monitoring, and Atlantic salmon restoration.
Effectiveness Monitoring of Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation Projects ($71,000)
Led by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Track seasonal and lifecycle movements of fish species and their habitat usage using acoustic fish tags to transmit to receivers placed in restored habitat, such as wetlands, in Toronto Harbour. Assessing fish community response to ongoing rehabilitation efforts improves efficiency of habitat restoration and increases fish populations.
Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program (STEP) ($70,000)
Led by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of clean water and renewable energy technologies in the Toronto Area of Concern.
Cell 2 Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) Restoration and Wetland Habitat Creation Project ($75,000)
Led by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the goal of this project was to:
- Create a hemi-marsh ecosystem capping 9.3 hectares of contaminated sediments in Tommy Thompson Park. This wetland creation will restore priority habitat for fish and wildlife species creating reproductive, nursery, foraging and overwintering opportunities.
