Fort Erie, July 26, 2013 – The RBC Blue Water Project has announced a $35,000 Leadership Grant to the Town of Fort Erie. The funds will be used to establish a water quality monitoring program that will help limit the rate of water run-off, reduce water pollution and improve water quality for local residents and users of Lake Erie.

The 2013 RBC Blue Water Project Leadership and Community Action Grants total more than $2.3 million in funding for water protection and preservation programs and support 123 organizations spanning seven countries, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos Islands.

“The Town of Fort Erie was one of only two Ontario municipalities that were successful in receiving this commitment from the Royal Bank of Canada”, stated Mayor Doug Martin. “RBC has always been a great community and corporate partner and these funds will allow us to continue our commitment to water quality and more specifically, municipal drains, which is a key strategic plan goal for Council”.

The funding grant, which was first announced during the July 15, 2013 Council meeting, will allow staff to create a rural and urban storm water quality and management evaluation for Fort Erie municipal drains. The water quality monitoring program will also assist with identifying possible sources of nutrient loading, strategically locate remedial projects to improve water quality, improve aquatic habitat and identify the resiliency of a watershed drainage system to respond to sever climatic events and land use changes. The funding will cover the cost of technicians and equipment to carry out baseline studies, laboratory costs, and communication material that will convey results of the studies.