News Release: EGLE awards $3.9M in grants for projects that protect and improve water quality - including the Thornapple River, Indian Mill Creek, Rogue River, and Flat River
For Immediateelease:
June 4, 2019
Robert Sweet, Nonpoint Source Grants Coordinator, SweetR@Michigan.gov, 517-284-5520
Jill A. Greenberg, EGLE Public Information Officer, GreenbergJ@Michigan.gov, 517-897-4965
EGLE awards $3.9M in grants for projects that protect and improve water quality
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today announced grants totaling more than $3.9 million for projects that will benefit Michigan lakes and streams by implementing watershed management plans. These grants will help restore impaired waters and protect high-quality waters by reducing nonpoint sources of sediment, nutrients and other contaminants.
Organizations and projects selected to receive implementation funding include:
Clinton Conservation District, $398,189 to implement agricultural best management practices and provide educational materials on proper septic system care in the Upper Maple River Watershed reducing human sources of sediment, nutrients and E. coli.
River Raisin Institute, $286,275 to reduce phosphorus, sediment and E. coli inputs to the S. S. Lapointe Drain Watershed, a direct tributary to Western Lake Erie, through agricultural best management practices and educational workshops.
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, $550,000 to permanently protect a 200-acre property covering 900 feet of Petobego Creek and 1,400 feet of Skegemog Lake shoreline with a permanent conservation easement.
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, $299,981 to replace two undersized stream crossings, restoring stable channel dimensions to Kids Creek.
Legacy Land Conservancy, $360,233 to protect 102 acres and 4,750 feet of streambank in the Upper River Raisin Watershed with permanent conservation easements.
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, $116,206 to protect 140 acres and 4,000 feet of High Banks Creek, a tributary of the Thornapple River, with a permanent conservation easement.
Lenawee Conservation District, $773,522 to implement innovative nutrient management practices in the River Raisin Watershed, reducing phosphorus inputs to Western Lake Erie.
Montcalm Conservation District, $370,495 to implement agricultural best management practices, restore 97 feet of natural shoreline, distribute educational materials on proper septic system care, work with townships to update local ordinances to protect river corridors, and protect a 50-acre property in the Flat River Watershed with a permanent conservation easement.
Kent Conservation District, $198,044 to leverage Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding to place agricultural best management practices in the Rogue River and Indian Mill Creek Watersheds, addressing sources of sediment, nutrients, and E. coli.
City of Pleasant Ridge, $608,498 to reduce impervious surfaces and install rain gardens and bioswales along Woodward Avenue in the Red Run Watershed.
These implementation grants are funded under the federal Clean Water Act – Section 319 and the Clean Michigan Initiative – Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grants Program. Grants are offered via an annual request for proposals. The next request for proposals will be available in mid-July and posted at: Michigan.gov/NPS.
More than half of EGLE’s budget each year flows into Michigan communities in the form of grants, loans and other spending that supports local projects that protect public health and the environment, while spurring economic growth and creating jobs for Michigan workers in the process.
To stay up to date on other EGLE News, follow us at Michigan.gov/MIEnvironment.