Objectives: Sustainable practices in agriculture are critical to protect Canadian land and water resources. The Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces and the agricultural sector to protect and restore water resources through support for on-farm environmental action and scientific research related to, for example, the management of phosphorus. The Canada-Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan is built on five pillars of action including reducing phosphorus loadings (ECCC & Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, 2018). In order to make the plan a reality, the governments have recognized that implementation requires a strong framework, and as such will make use of adaptive management, strong governance, and effective engagement of accountable partners. The aim of this research is to understand the linkages between agricultural and industrial activities, water quality and ecosystem impacts during the COVID-19 outbreak. The year 2020 can be selected as a baseline year against which future loading reductions toward the new binational targets can be evaluated, and it can also provide a unique opportunity for future water management plans and decision-making.

Project PI(s):

• Homa Kheyrollah Pour (PI)
• Jan Adamowski (Co-PI, McGill University)

Project Partner(s):

• Caren Binding (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Funding: NSERC Alliance Grants

Period: 2020/06/14 to 2021/06/14