Ontario regional conservation authorities have played a key role in shoreline management, habitat conservation and the implementation of Remedial Action Plans. The impact of massive cuts to conservation authorities is compounded by the restrictions imposed through the Governments's Bill 26, the 1996 Savings and Restructuring Act. Bill 26's amendments limit conservation authorities to raising funds for flood control purposes only. These mounting financial pressures may lead to the sale or leasing of authority lands for private or commercial use. Shoreline restoration and Remedial Action Plan implementation will suffer another setback with the elimination of MOEE's urban and rural beach restoration cleanup programs.
Water pollution is another key stress in Great Lakes aquatic habitats.
Main sources of water pollution include effluent from sewage plants and pulp and paper mills. The Clean Water Agency is the principal agency responsible for the funding of municipal sewer and water infrastructure, including construction and upgrading of sewage treatment plants. Furthermore, the government's Responsive Environmental Protection report proposes to weaken the province's Municipal-Industrial Strategy for Abatement program. This will be accomplished by eliminating the requirement for pulp and paper mills to plan for zero discharge of organochlorines. When combined with the weakening of monitoring and reporting requirements for various industrial sectors, water pollution is likely to rise.