News
Great Lakes Commission announces $1.6 million in grants to reduce phosphorus and sediment in the Great Lakes
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced today that it has awarded more than $1.6 million to 18 projects to reduce runoff of phosphorus and sediment into the Great Lakes basin. The projects were selected by the members of the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program task force, comprised of members from each of the Great Lakes states. Funding for this program is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under a cooperative agreement between the GLC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Every year, phosphorus and sediments enter the Great Lakes basin through runoff, causing economic and environmental damage and contributing to the formation of Harmful Algal Blooms and dead zones. The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program strategically addresses this problem through a unique, targeted grassroots approach that awards grants to state and local agencies and nonprofit organizations to control runoff of phosphorus and sediment into priority watersheds. Over its nearly thirty-year history, this program has supported 438 projects to reduce the input of unwanted sediment, nutrients, and other sediment-borne pollutants into the Great Lakes, reducing soil erosion by an estimated 2 million tons and phosphorous loading by 2 million pounds.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the recipients and thank them for protecting water quality in the Great Lakes by reducing the runoff of sediment and phosphorous in critical watersheds,” said Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission. “Projects like these demonstrate the power of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to generate economic and environmental benefits for communities across the region and is one more reason for Congress to fully fund the initiative.”
The Great Lakes Commission has a long history of working with local, state, and federal partners to reduce nonpoint source pollution through innovative and collaborative programs. To learn more about the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program and the projects it is funding, please visit www.glc.org/work/sediment.
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Grant Amount |
State | Title of Project | Recipient |
| $75,000 | Indiana | Pigeon Creek Watershed – Reducing Soil & Nutrient Runoff | Steuben County Soil & Water Conservation District |
| $50,000 | Indiana | Trail Creek Bank Stabilization Project | LaPorte County Parks Department |
| $196,878 | Indiana | Promotion of 4Rs in Indiana with Partners | Indiana State Department of Agriculture |
| $200,000 | Michigan | Watershed Wide Conservation | Lenawee Conservation District |
| $50,000 | Michigan | Closed Loop Drainage Water Management/Sub-Irrigation System | Lenawee Conservation District |
| $49,707 | Michigan | Macatawa Watershed Streambank Restoration | Macatawa Area Coordinating Council |
| $49,967 | Michigan | Two-stage ditches in the Macatawa Watershed | Macatawa Area Coordinating Council |
| $50,000 | Michigan | Phosphorous Remediation Project | Lenawee Conservation District |
| $25,083 | Ohio | Concentrated Flow Area Improvements-St. Mary’s River Watershed | Mercer Soil and Conservation District |
| $128,327 | Ohio | Watersheds in the Ottawa River Sediment Reduction Project | Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District |
| $198,505 | Ohio | Chagrin River Sediment and Nutrient Reduction BMP Program | Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc. |
| $16,548 | Ohio | Innovative Practice to Reduce P Blanchard River Watershed | Blanchard River Watershed Partnership |
| $168,000 | Ohio | Central Fulton Conservation Project | Fulton Soil and Water Conservation District |
| $50,000 | Ohio | Euclid Waterfront Improvements – Erosion Control | City of Euclid |
| $196,700 | Ohio | Manure Utilization in the Silver, Wildcat and Prairie Creeks | The Ohio State University |
| $50,000 | Pennsylvania | Walnut Creek Restoration at P.I. Downs & Casino | The Pennsylvania State University |
| $50,000 | Wisconsin | Pike River – Ravine Restoration | Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network, Inc. |
| $10,000 | Wisconsin | Elkhart Lake Iron-enhanced Drainage Project | Sheboygan County Planning |
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chairman Jon Allan, director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, is an interstate compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.