Communities south of the border are taking note of how Chatham-Kent is working with farmers to reduce phosphorous run-off into the great lakes.
That's the word from mayor Randy Hope after attending a meeting with other Great Lakes mayors at a conference in Niagara Falls, NY.
Hope says he was able to share some of Chatham-Kent's successes with his American counterparts.
"The strategies that we're coming up with in Chatham-Kent can be used as a model for other areas in the United States -- like the Maumee River," says Hope, adding that river in Ohio has a huge content of phosphates and nitrates that are leaking into Lake Erie.
Another key factor in reducing agricultural run-off is a partnership with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). The farm advocacy group is credited with contributing to a water management and drainage strategy that was recently approved by a large group of mayors who gathered for a Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI) meeting last week.
The strategy is aimed at helping to reduce the amount of phosphorous that leaks into the Great Lakes, particularly during sudden snow melts and severe storms.
"With the OFA involved, that means the OFA can now spread its wings in other areas across Ontario," says Hope. "Also, being the agricultural organization that it is, hopefully it will make those in the United States more aware that it can be done there too."
But even a partnership with the OFA isn't enough.
Hope says they still need support from the upper levels of government.
"What we have to do is make sure the other orders of governments -- provincial and federal or state and federal in the US -- understand we need support and assistance in order to achieve the outcome of the agreement that was signed in the Lake Erie Basin," says Hope.
According to a report from the GLSLCI meeting last week, the Canadian and US Governments have agreed to reduce phosphorus entering Lake Erie by 40%.
