No. 15-OPA166
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, MICH. (Nov. 9, 2015) -- The E.P.A. today announced the award of new backing for major Great Lakes Restoration Initiative plans in the Clinton River Area of Concern totaling nearly $20 million.
Senior Advisor to the E.P.A. Administrator Cameron Davis was joined by U.S. Senator Gary Peters, U.S. Representative Sander Levin, U.S. Representative Candice Miller, Clinton River Public Advisory Council Chair Lynne Seymour and representatives of the grantees. They announced the plans at the Harbor Club South Apartments near the Clinton River Spillway, which connects the 2 congressional districts.
"Once completed, the plans we're announcing today will move the Clinton River AOC toward a more vibrant environment and local economy," Davis said. "With such strong bipartisan support in Congress, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is producing results in Michigan and across the Great Lakes."
"Our lakes and rivers are part of who we are and our way of life," U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, said. "Investing in the Clinton River watershed is critical to the health and conservation of our waterways and wildlife habitats. This support for our counties, townships and cities will help keep our waters clean and healthy for generations to come."
"The Great Lakes are an economic engine for Michigan, driving industries including tourism, agriculture and commercial shipping, and supporting in excess of half a million jobs," Senator Peters said. "Investments made possible by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative are essential to revitalizing the Great Lakes and the communities that rely on them. I'm proud to help declare nearly $20 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative investments that will help ensure the Great Lakes are protected for generations to come."
"This is an important development for everyone who cares about the Clinton River," Representative Levin said. "With these federal grants, we are taking a giant step forward toward the restoration of the Clinton River and the eventual removal of this waterway from the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. We need to build on this work - not just in the Clinton River, but throughout the Great Lakes - by continuing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is making this progress possible."
"Those of us who grew up along the shores of the Great Lakes know they are in excess of just a source of recreation; they are a way of life. Yet, we haven't been the best environmental stewards and we owe it to future generations to do more to restore and preserve them," Representative Miller said. "Throughout my tenure, one of my principal advocacies has been protecting the Great Lakes basin's water quality as it accounts for 20 percent of the world's fresh drinking water supply. I am excited to help celebrate these GLRI grants and believe they will go a long way to restore, preserve and protect these beautiful waterways."
The following plans and grants will be funded:
· Clinton River Corridor Plan - City of Sterling Heights ($4,500,000) will enhance habitat diversity along a nine-mile section of the Clinton River by creating riffle-pools, managing woody debris, stabilizing stream banks, controlling invasive species and enhancing native vegetation.
· Partridge Creek Commons, McBride Drain and Clinton River Spillway Plans - Macomb Co. ($6,300,000) will restore in excess of 32,000 linear feet and almost 90 acres of in-stream, streamside and upland habitat. The Plans will control invasive species, plant native vegetation, stabilize and naturalize the shoreline, increase habitat diversity through restoration of riffle and pool complexes, and enhance habitat connectivity.
· Clinton River Spillway Plan - Macomb Co. ($2,500,000) will restore the eastern end of the spillway in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Plan includes invasive species removal and other restoration efforts near the area where the spillway meets Lake Saint Clair.
· Wolcott Mill Metropark Wetland Plan - Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority ($335,374) will restore sections of the north branch of the Clinton River floodplain to native grassland and forested wetlands as part of a long-term strategy to address stormwater impacts to the watershed. This Plan will help restore native wildlife species such as pollinators and grassland birds.
· Galloway Wetland Plan - City of Auburn Hills ($140,000) will restore wetlands adjacent to Galloway Creek, a key tributary to the Clinton River, in the City of Auburn Hills. The Plan includes removing significant debris that had been previously dumped at the Plan site, allowing for the re-establishment of native wetland vegetation that had historically occupied the site. The wetlands will enhance habitat as well as buffer the impacts of stormwater run-off.
· Sylvan Glen Plan - City of Troy ($375,000) will restore 3,500 feet of stream, reduce sediment loads from reaching the Clinton River, and enhance habitat for aquatic life.
· Harley Ensign/Clinton River Mouth Plan - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interagency Arrangement ($2,694,201) will enhance fish and wildlife habitat and restore former coastal wetland habitat where the Clinton River meets Lake Saint Clair. This Plan will control invasive species, establish 14 acres of fish habitat and restore four acres of upland habitat as well as 6,000 feet of shoreline.
· Shelby Township Stream Bank Stabilization Plan - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interagency Arrangement ($914,412) will restore the aquatic and terrestrial habitat on the main stem of the Clinton River by reducing stream bank erosion and re-establishing near-shore habitat.
· The Galloway Creek Fish Passage Plan - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interagency Arrangement ($2,202,000) will restore approximately 3,000 linear feet of channel and two acres of riparian habitat in Galloway Creek, which will enhance floodplain and in-stream connectivity, increase stream channel stability, provide in-channel aquatic habitat, increase habitat diversity and increase shade for riparian wetlands.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the biggest system of fresh surface water in the world. Since then, 3 Great Lakes Areas of Concern in the U.S. or shared with Canada have been cleaned up and taken off the bi-national list of Areas of Concern: the Presque Isle Bay AOC (on Lake Erie in Pennsylvania), the Deer Lake AOC (on Lake Superior in Michigan) and the White Lake AOC (on Lake Michigan in Michigan). Twenty 7 Areas of Concern remain on the list.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative backing has also been used to complete all necessary restoration actions at 3 additional Areas of Concern: the Waukegan Harbor AOC (on Lake Michigan in Illinois), the Sheboygan River AOC (on Lake Michigan in Wisconsin) and the Ashtabula River AOC (on Lake Erie in Ohio). Environmental monitoring is ongoing at those AOCs to assess their eligibility for delisting. GLRI backing is being used to accelerate cleanup work in all remaining Areas of Concern on the U.S. side of the border. GLRI backing is also used to enhance habitat, prevent and control invasive species and reduce runoff.
More information about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is accessible at: www.glri.us.
