GLRI Supports 145 Great Lakes Projects in the First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2021

October 4, 2021

a backhoe on a barge dredges sediment — Mechanical dredging of contaminated sediment in the East Pond. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

In the first six months of Fiscal Year 2021, EPA and its federal partners supported 145 projects totaling more than $72 million which will protect and restore the Great Lakes and fuel community revitalization efforts throughout the Great Lakes basin. Noteworthy examples include:

Sediment Cleanup: More than $19 million for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remove or contain contaminated sediments and improve sediment quality, water quality, and habitat of the Lake George Canal in the Grand Calumet Area of Concern in Indiana.
Green Infrastructure: $1 million for a Kenosha County Division of Parks green infrastructure project that will use native vegetation for erosion control and the prevention of untreated stormwater overflows into Lake Michigan. This project is expected to prevent more than 822,000 gallons of untreated water and more than 360 pounds of phosphorus from entering Lake Michigan every year.
Invasive Species: $11.7 million for projects with the Departments of Natural Resources of Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan and the Corps of Engineers to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp under the FY 2021 Invasive Carp Action Plan.

Example of geotextile tubes where contaminated material will be stored on-site and allowed to dewater. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

EPA researchers prepare to take samples at Scanlon Reservoir to understand environmental conditions. Photo credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency