Harrison Township, MI – U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10) today commented on the $1 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant funding awarded to the Huron-Clinton Metropark Authority to reduce the impact of stormwater on Metropolitan Beach Metropark. The Metropark will use green infrastructure measures to reduce, capture and treat stormwater runoff impacting the Metro Beach Metropark on Lake St. Clair. The project will eliminate approximately 11.5 acres of pavement and establish a new drainage pattern for the parking area that will filter all runoff through a system of vegetative swales and detention areas to an existing 96 acre wetland.

“This grant is a wonderful and vital investment into the public health of our area and will greatly aid in improving the water quality of Lake St. Clair. By updating the surrounding infrastructure, we can responsibly preserve and sustain our local waterways which are vitally important to the health of the community, as well as the Great Lakes region as a whole. Throughout my entire career in public service, protecting the Great Lakes and our waterways has always been and will continue to be at the forefront of my primary advocacies.”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is setting aside approximately $6 million for federal agencies that propose restoration work in federally-protected areas, on tribal lands and in Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes basin. A key criterion for approvable projects is that they must put at least 20 unemployed people to work. Funded projects must provide immediate, direct ecological benefits; be located in areas identified as federal priorities such as national lakeshores or areas of concern; include a detailed budget, and produce measurable results.
For more information on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, please visit www.glri.us.

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