Volume 1 |September, 2018

PRC Update
Funding flows for PRC project
We were pleased to receive $600,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Great Lakes Protection Initiative on July 20th.

This will mean we can move ahead with our plans for developing and testing technologies that intercept and remove phosphorus from agricultural runoff.

Request for Proposal issued
Charles Lalonde, project manager for the Thames River PRC, issued a Request for Proposal on July 20th for technologies to remove phosphorus from agricultural runoff.

The deadline for submissions is September 28, 2018 and up to $100,000 is available to companies with successful pitches.

Steering committee meeting a big success
A total of 24 representatives of farm groups, municipalities, conservation authority, First Nations, federal and provincial governments attended the June 27th meeting in Chatham.

A workplan was laid out along with a new sub-committee structure that includes an Executive, Finance, Regional and Communications.

New members
We welcomed two new members the PRC Steering Committee including Emma Young, Senior Environmental Officer of the Chippewa of the Thames, who did a presentation about possible demonstration sites on First Nations land. Owen Steele from Ducks Unlimited is our other new member.

A full slate of members can be found here
Ohio Governor issues Executive Order for action on Algae in Lake Erie
On July 11, 2018, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed an executive order requesting that Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Department and Agriculture Department recommend rules for fertilizer and manure use on farms in eight priority watersheds.
Executive Order 2018-09k: Taking Steps to Protect Lake Erie, requires the consent of the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission to be enacted. So far, the Commission has asked for a delay to allow for further study of the problem. If enacted, the Executive order could affect up to 7,000 farms. 
New on the web:
  • Lots of media coverage of our funding announcement in July.
  • New Hickenbottom Filter Ring is easy to use, environmentally friendly, inexpensive and removes phosphorus.
  • Check out the Idea Pool for the latest contests, events and advancements.

Please feel free to pass this newsletter along!
| Thames River PRC| info@thamesriverprc | thamesriverprc.com