The provincial government is pumping new funding into two projects in the Holland Marsh.
York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney visited the Art Janse Pumping Station in Bradford on May 3 to announce $284,500 in funding, with $172,000 for bank stabilization and rehabilitation as well as $112,500 for vegetation harvesting — both of which are expected to help reduce phosphorus levels in the canal, West Holland River and subsequently Lake Simcoe while also offering educational opportunities for local youth.
“Our government is continuing to invest in the long-term health of Lake Simcoe,” Mulroney said in a news release. “These projects will benefit both the Holland Marsh and the south shores of Lake Simcoe as we continue to keep the water clean and reduce phosphorus from entering our watershed.”
Frank Jonkman, drainage superintendent for the marsh, was on hand and explained the benefits of both projects
“One of the things we’re trying to do is eliminate surface runoff and bank failures, because — especially with the muck soils — you wind up with a lot of the phosphorus bound to the sediment,” he said.
Once the heavy machine work to restore and re-establish the banks is complete, Jonkman will be looking to work with youth to plant various shrubs as a way to stabilize the area.
“The intent is also to engage them, speaking to them about the projects and educating them about it,” he said.
Envisioned as a pilot project, Jonkman was initially targeting a two-kilometre stretch that could be used to collect data and measure the impact, but the size of that area could already be set to increase.
While discussions are still ongoing over the exact location, Jonkman said some local farmers have generously offered access via their properties, which could reduce costs by about 75 per cent, since work would no longer need to be done from floating barges.
The second project aims to implement an annual harvest of some of the plants growing under the water, taking with them the phosphorus they’ve absorbed over the spring and summer and preventing it from being released back into the water when the plants die.
“The idea of that program is to actually remove the material and hopefully find an end use for it, either through a field application or composting,” Jonkman said.
While the machinery used to harvest those plants is likely too dangerous for youth volunteers to be actively involved, Jonkman is still hoping to provide educational presentations.
Normally, adding extra projects to the plate of the Holland Marsh Joint Municipal Service Board would require an increase in the board’s levy, but the provincial funding means that isn’t an issue.
“These grants are actually going to be benefiting the farmers because they’re not going to be assessed these costs, but they’re going to see an improvement as to how it’s managed,” Jonkman said.
Jonkman had previously recommended such projects in a report to the town’s green initiatives advisory committee, which pushed for and received the support of council on Sept. 5.
“These investments to protect the Holland River and Lake Simcoe are nature-based solutions. We’re using the power of plants to organically filter our water. It’s such a simple concept but an important contribution to a clean environment,” Ward 2 Coun. and chair of the committee, Jonathan Scott, said in a press release.
The funding for the two marsh projects is part of $289,000 for youth stewardship of Lake Simcoe, previously announced at the Orillia Museum of Art and History on Friday, April 29.
The province has announced $37 million to protect Lake Simcoe since 2018 — including $24 million announced through the 2024 budget to reduce phosphorus discharge from the Holland River into Lake Simcoe.
