THUNDER BAY – Visitors to Boulevard Lake in August will notice some construction work happening around the shoreline thanks to a $110,700 investment from the province.
This funding will allow the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority and the City of Thunder Bay to team up to create a depression around Boulevard Lake that will serve as a wetland that will help filter storm water runoff that would normally end up in the lake.
The goal, said the CAO of the LRCA, is to prevent contaminants from enter Boulevard Lake, which ultimately prevents them from ending up in Lake Superior.
Tammy Cook said there will be natural vegetation, trees, shrubs, and perennials growing in the depression.
“This one small project will add to the many projects we’ve been working on to have a real impact overall in the watershed collectively,” she said.
Boulevard Lake is one of the five major watersheds in this area that flows into Lake Superior.
The work will take place in August and vegetation will be planted in the fall.
Kevin Holland, member of provincial parliament for Thunder Bay – Atikokan, said this project will lower the amount of time the beach at Boulevard Lake needs to close due to higher levels of algae or contaminants.
“This will go a long way to help the LRCA and the City of Thunder Bay to ensure that we’re creating the pristine system that residents have come to expect,” Holland said at a media conference held at Boulevard Lake.
The Wetlands Conservation Partner Program is one of the largest investments in wetland enhancement and restoration in the province’s history, a provincial news release said.
This is one of many wetland projects across the province receiving a total of up to $11 million from the program.
Over the past five years, Ontario has invested over $30 million to support a wide range of projects to restore and enhance large-scale wetlands, smaller wetlands on marginal agricultural lands, and wetlands in more urban areas as part of municipal stormwater management, the release said.
