Almost three weeks after the federal government announced a $2.9 million investment to clean up the Niagara River, The Post has learned work won't actually be done directly in Fort Erie.

Instead, the money will be used for the remediation of contaminated sediment in Lyons Creek East and West, in what Environment Canada calls the Niagara River area of concern.

In a press conference at Mather Arch April 23, Niagara Falls MP and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said cleaning the Niagara River is in the best interest of not only area residents, but also the environment as a whole.

A news release issued by Environment Canada said the government was "investing up to $2.9 million to clean up the Niagara River" yet an Environment Canada sediment remediation program officer admitted, "No creeks other than Lyons Creek will be included in the cleanup."

In an interview with The Post, Nicholson said work will be exclusively done in Lyons Creek with the benefits trickling down to the Niagara River.

"It specifically will be within Lyons Creek because this water goes directly into the Niagara River and we have to attack it at its source," he said.

Nicholson said the announcement was made at Mather Arch because it is at the beginning of the affected area.

"It's for the health of the Niagara River and (Mather Arch) is where the Niagara River begins," said Nicholson.

Assessments of Lyons Creek identified elevated concentrations of PCBs, arsenic and zinc in sediment and stream banks, posing a threat to humans who eat fish out of the waters. Potential clean-up options for Lyons Creek include excavation and/or infilling, restoration of wetlands or monitored natural recovery.

A 1993 report identified 13 areas in the Niagara River watershed that required investigation because of contaminated sediment concerns. A committee was established in 2004 to assess and remediate the contaminated sediment. The assessment concluded sediment management strategies for Lyons Creek were required.

The clean-up will begin in 2009 and be completed by 2012.

While Nicholson said area stakeholders will be included in the clean-up effort, Yvonne Hopkins of The Friends of Fort Erie's Creeks first learned of the initiative when contacted by The Post immediately after the announcement.

"I was surprised and I don't know exactly what the project will include," she said. "We weren't consulted at all."

Nicholson said government staff are currently identifying the stakeholders to work with.

"We will be talking with local stakeholders on this before we move into the next phase," Nicholson said.