WINDSOR, ONT. -- A new round of funding is available to farmers to help improve environmental sustainability and water quality in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds.

Up to $2.58 million has been allocated to the Lake Erie Agriculture Demonstrating Sustainability (LEADS) initiative.

LEADS is a cost-share program with the federal and provincial governments geared toward improving the health of the soil and reducing the amount of nutrient loss, in particular, phosphorus, into the lakes.

The province has committed to reduce phosphorus entering Lake Erie’s western and central basins by 40 per cent by 2025 to help support water quality in the lake.

Eligible projects include creating buffer strips next to streams, drains, wetlands and lakes. Planting permanent shrubs or trees to reduce runoff and installing other soil erosion control measures.