Chatham-Kent is trying to help solve the problem of algae blooms in Lake Erie with a new pilot project to reduce the amount of phosphorus released into the water from local farms.
A new filtration system was unveiled at Louis Roesch's farm near Kent Bridge on Thursday morning. The project is a combined effort between the municipality, The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA), Ontario Federation of Agriculture, and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.
A look at the complete filtration system, which according to Little would run farmers roughly $10,000 to install. July 26, 2018. (Photo by Greg Higgins)
According to Colin Little, agricultural program coordinator with the LTVCA, the plan is to reduce the amount of phosphorus put into the Thames River. He said it is called the Phosphorus Filter Tank, but the name isn't set in stone.
"We are trying to capture the phosphorus before it enters the waterways," Little said. "The phosphorus is contributing to the growth of algae blooms. That's the scope of the issue and that's why we are trying to verify this technology to determine if it works."
Little said the system is still in the preliminary stages as water samples only started being collected recently. He added the idea is to continue to monitor it for the next three years.
According to Little the bi-national goal involving the U.S.A. and Canadian governments to reduce phosphorus in waterways that drain into the western base of Lake Erie by 40 per cent.
CK Mayor Randy Hope was in attendance and took the opportunity to thank everyone involved in the project. But he isn't exactly sold that agriculture is causing the phosphorus levels.
"This demonstration site will give us the actual facts we need to say the agricultural practices in this area are doing well," Hope said. "We have governments that ask for a 40% reduction, but no one knows how to do it. Well we stepped up to the plate and that's why we started implementing these projects because it will be fact-based versus mythological views saying 'It's those farmers.'"
Bottles are setup in a machine that will collect water before it enters the filter in order to test the amount of phosphorus in the water before it enters. July 26, 2018. (Photo by Greg Higgins)
Hope said there is a lot of finger pointing and that is exactly what the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiatives trying to stop. When asked about the International Joint Commission stating agriculture as the main culprit for algae blooms, Hope was skeptical about their claim.
"They're scientists and I mean, I am going to sit there and tell you that legacy issues are probably more haunting of us today than agricultural practices are," Hope said. "If I look at the Thames River and you'll notice most of it happens when we get an extreme amount of rain. You've got all that sediment, they [scientists] call it dredging but I call it sediments, that have built up at the bottoms of those lake basins or river basins and that's being pushed."
Hope said the real problem is the phosphorus seeped into the bottom of the Thames river that gets unearthed during storms and extreme weather. He added agriculture isn't off the hook though and admitted many people, not just farmers, may be using excess fertilizer and those practices need to change.
Little said the few tests that have been processed so far have been positive in providing low levels phosphorus. He said Louis Roesch's farm is her perfect land to test because Roesche himself admits to having more phosphorus-rich soil than most farms.
Mayor Hope displaying the signs which will be put up around CK with Quick Response Codes people can scan with their phones to learn more about the filtration system. July 26, 2018. (Photo by Greg Higgins)
