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KENORA – The Ontario government is investing $9.5 million in Experiment Lake Area Research in a five-year agreement that will implement an acid rain recovery program for the Sudbury region, actions to address phosphorus in inland lakes and the Great Lakes, and study the efforts to address the effects of mercury emissions from coal-fired plants in Ontario and the U.S.
“The Experimental Lakes Area is the world’s most important freshwater research facility,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry. “The area is a living laboratory for critical research and scientific study that sustains healthy ecosystems for future generations. Our government is proud to invest in facilities such as these to expand understanding of the critical changes in ecology over time and continue our work building Ontario.”
The Experimental Lakes Area was established in 1968 as a unique research facility encompassing 58 freshwater lakes and their watersheds, totalling 270 square kilometres, approximately 50 kilometres southeast of Kenora.
Ontario has provided $16 million in support to the Experimental Lakes Area since taking over its responsibility in 2014.
"IISD Experimental Lakes Area is truly Ontario's scientific gem,” said Matthew McCandless. executive director, IISD Experimental Lakes Area. “We are thrilled to receive this critical support to help us continue to safeguard the world's freshwater. Collaborating with everyone from local communities to national industries, we're working to discover what impacts the health of freshwater—from microplastics to oil spills—and how we can effectively protect it."
The Experimental Lakes Area is a world-renowned freshwater research facility in Northwestern Ontario, where our ecosystem is attractive to scientists worldwide who conduct research into pollution reduction, climate change strategies, and the protection of freshwater ecosystems. This research develops protective strategies for lakes and rivers in Ontario and worldwide.
