With funding from the Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program, rural property owners completed 52 projects in 2021 to protect Ottawa’s waterways, wetlands and groundwater.
The City’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) received the program’s annual report last Thursday, which outlines more than $78,000 in grants the City provided last year for water protection projects. In addition to the grant funding, landowners contributed more than $56,000 to these works, investing a total of more than $134,000 in rural land stewardship. Another 19 projects, worth more than $89,000 in grants, are on track to be completed in 2022.
The City approved 21 projects to develop forest management plans in 2021, making that the most popular project type. Projects to decommission unused wells were also popular, with 19 such projects approved. Many rural residents along the Ottawa River were affected by flooding in 2019, and in 2021, the City approved 15 projects to repair shorelines and address erosion issues.
Learn more about eligible projects and how to apply at ottawa.ca/cleanwater.
Recommendations from Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting will rise to City Council on Wednesday, June 8.
