Grants Announced for Ohio Lake Erie Watershed Projects

Image source: White Lake Dock & Dredge

The U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Cathy Stepp and Ohio EPA Director Laurie Stevenson have announced five separate grants recently awarded to Ohio EPA, Ohio Lake Erie Commission (OLEC), Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Ohio DNR), and the Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Organization (NEFCO).

Image source: White Lake Dock & Dredge

The grants will be used to restore wetland habitats, control and prevent invasive species, and to continue cleanup and restoration work in Ohio’s Areas of Concern (AOCs).

These grants are part of a larger effort to restore and protect the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Last month, EPA announced GLRI Action Plan III, an aggressive plan that will guide Great Lakes restoration and protection activities by EPA and its many partners over the next 5 years.

The Ohio GLRI grants include:

  • A $285,000 grant to Ohio DNR to improve wetland function in a coastal marsh and the Moxley Wetland Area on Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay. The project will restore 433 acres of coastal wetland and 1.4 miles of shoreline;
  • A $374,865 grant to Ohio EPA and OLEC to stabilize 1,950 feet of streambank on the West Branch of Euclid Creek;
  • $1,000,000 in incremental funding toward Ohio EPA and OLEC’s $2,497,258 grant to reduce approximately 515 to 715 pounds of phosphorus runoff per year and to protect and restore streams and wetlands by working with farmers;
  • $1,125,000 in incremental funding toward Ohio EPA’s $3,675,000 grant to develop and implement Lakewide Action Management Plans for Lake Erie and Remedial Action Plans for Lake Erie AOCs;

A $800,000 grant to NEFCO to remove the Canal Diversion Dam and the resulting impoundment, from the Cuyahoga River.