Fleming College

Minister of the Environment John Wilkinson visited the Frost Campus on Jan. 26 to announce funding of $7 million annually for four years for source water protection in Ontario.

Mr. Wilkinson made the announcement at the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment (CAWT). The CAWT has received $150,000 of that funding to conduct research on floating islands technology.

Floating islands are man-made plastic mats planted with reeds that float in storm water management ponds. Senior Scientist and CAWT Director Brent Wootton and his team are studying the effects the roots have in naturally filtering the water so it can be returned to our river and lake systems.

The funding will also help farmers, property owners and businesses across the province take action to protect local drinking water.

In the past three years, the Ontario government has already helped more than 2,000 projects remove risks to local drinking water sources, including: inspecting and upgrading more than 1,000 septic systems and closing or upgrading more than 480 wells.

Measures like this help prevent water contamination and protect our valuable water resources.

According to the provincial government, this program is an important part of the government’s Open Ontario Plan to make Ontario a leader in water protection and technology.

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For more information:
Laura Copeland, Communications Officer, 705-749-5530 x 1370