Lake St. Clair Conference 2024

In November Water Quality Specialist Craig Irwin represented the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) at the 2024 Binational Lake St. Clair Conference. The conference represented 25 years of joint environmental management by the U.S. and Canada in the Lake St. Clair watershed. The Thames River has a direct impact on Lake St. Clair as it is the outlet of the river. 

Craig presented UTRCA’s involvement in collaboratively managing the Thames River using the Shared Waters Approach (SWA), a watershed management strategy. The SWA involves First Nations, municipalities, Conservation Authorities, Federal and Provincial governments committed to a healthy and vital Thames River watershed, which will ultimately benefit Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. A goal of the SWA is balancing protection and restoration of the Thames River watershed while supporting economic and urban development. To achieve this common goal, all member of the SWA developed their own recommendations and action plans for implementation. UTRCA is implementing these actions with success through various programs including over 3,700 projects completed through the Clean Water Program, collaborative water quality sampling with the City of London, and education with the UTRCA’s Watershed Report Cards. 

Overall, the conference shared many success stories featuring great environmental and conservation work, while acknowledging there are still challenges and work to do. UTRCA will continue to do our part to improve the Thames River, Lake St.Clair, and the Great Lakes watershed. 

Contact: Craig Irwin, Water Quality Specialist