Great Lakes Restoration Initiative sends $16 million upstream in Michigan

By Jeff Brooks Gillies • June 20, 2011

The federal government’s big plan to restore the Great Lakes will pay for dozens of restoration projects on Michigan rivers.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a multi-agency, multi-billion-dollar plan to tackle some of the lakes’ biggest problems. The first installment of $475 million came last year. Congress recently approved another $300 million for this year, and President Obama has requested $350 million for 2012.

The initiative’s strategy is to divvy up the money between dozens of federal and state agencies, local governments, universities and non-profits. After just one year, there are already nearly 600 funded projects. To help keep track of all this spending, every GLRI-funded project has an entry in the Great Lakes Accountability System. There you can get a short description of every project, how much money it got and who’s responsible for it.

Based on the little information there, it looks like the first round of GLRI money will cover at least 36 projects with some impact on Michigan rivers. Some of the projects are specific and aggressive, like the dam removal and road-crossing improvement on the Manistee’s North Branch, which we already wrote about here. Many others are Army Corps of Engineers feasibility studies.

The projects total around $16 million in GLRI money, with another $7 million worth of cost-matching coming from the groups working on the projects.

Here’s a list of all 36 river-related projects. Everything is copied from the Accountability System website, so if you find an error, blame the government.

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Lead group	Title	Description	GLRI Funding
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians	Habitat and Water Quality Improvements to the Bear River Watershed	This project will improve habitat and water quality in the Bear River Watershed, which directly affects waters flowing into Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The results of this project will include healthier greenbelts, stabilized erosion sites, and eradication and replacement of harmful invasive species with native vegetation.	$196,148
Fish & Wildlife Service	NFPP – Silver Creek Culvert Replacements on Beach Grove Hwy (Ocqueoc River Watershed), MI	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office will work with partners to replace several existing undersized culverts on the Ocqueoc River watershed (Michigan) with bottomless or elliptical structures that will reduce water velocities and make it passable for fish, especially native brook trout, while maintaining a natural stream bottom.	$28,571
Fish & Wildlife Service	Shiawasse Flats Wildlife and Fish Habitat Restoration – Michigan	Ducks Unlimited and partners will restore water level management on approximately 3,700 acres of historical floodplain habitat and increase water quality throughout the watershed which will improve the ecological health of Lake Huron`s Saginaw Bay, an Area of Concern. An existing water control structure will be modified and a new water control structure installed to reduce streamflow velocities and erosion of downstream banks and channel in the Shiawasse River and to improve wildlife habitat.	$589,119
Fish & Wildlife Service	FPP – Salmon Trout River Watershed Culvert Replacement–Clear Creek at Blind 35, MI	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will replace crossing #6 on Clear Creek, a tributary to the Salmon Trout River in Michigan, to restore fish passage for brook trout and other native species. This project will implement key recommendations of the Salmon Trout River Watershed Management Plan, Lake Superior Lake-wide Management Plan, Fish Community Objectives for Lake Superior, and the Brook Trout Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Superior	$107,729
Fish & Wildlife Service	FPP – Salmon Trout River Watershed Culvert Replacement–Crossing #21 & #22 Unnamed Trib to STR, MI	The project will restore passage and habitat for native brook trout and aquatic organisms in the unnamed tributary to the Main Branch Salmon Trout River and will prevent further degradation of critical habitat for coaster brook trout in the lower Salmon Trout River. This work is consistent with the goals of the Great Lakes Strategic Plan (2007-2011), the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006, the Great Lakes Regional Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes (2005), and the Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership. The project is also relevant because it implements key recommendations of the Salmon Trout River Watershed Management Plan, Lake Superior Lake-wide Management Plan (LaMP), Fish Community Objectives for Lake Superior, and the Brook Trout Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Superior.	$87,371
Fish & Wildlife Service	Upper Great Lakes Stream Connectivity and Habitat Initiative	The Conservation Resource Alliance, Huron Pines and its partners will utilize funding for the Upper Great Lakes Stream Connectivity and Habitat Initiative. The project will improve 75 miles of Great Lakes tributaries by restoring fish passage and in-stream habitat; and 5,000 acres of stream-side habitat over the next two years.	$214,286
Huron Pines	Rifle River Watershed Nonpoint Implementation Project	This project will address the two highest pollutants of concern within the Rifle River watershed: sediment and nutrient loading. This will be accomplished by addressing the sources of pollution by implementing agricultural, streambank, road crossing, stormwater and permanent land protection best management practices. In addition, the existing watershed plan will be updated to meet current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.	$382,000
Army Corps of Engineers	Flint River Sec 216	The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is studying the feasibility of various alternatives for restoring natural riverine conditions to a section of the Flint River in Flint, MI, which was highly modified by a flood control project.	$100,000
Army Corps of Engineers	White Rapids/Chalk Hill Dam Fishway	The United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) is studying the feasibility of various alternatives to restore fishery passages at the White Rapids Dam and Chalk Hill Dam on the Menominee River, approximately 50 and 53 miles, respectively, upstream of the river`s outlet into Green Bay.	$380,000
Fish & Wildlife Service	NFPP – AuSable River Fish Passage Barrier Inventory & Assessment, Northern Michigan	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with its partners through the National Fish Passage Program in Northern Michigan to systematically inventory every dam in the Au Sable River watershed, and to then use the data collected in an assessment and ranking process to evaluate each fish passage barrier to prioritize their removal.	$28,571
Fish & Wildlife Service	NFFP – High Bank Creek culvert replacement and dam removal (Thornapple R.) in Barry County, MI	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with its partners through the National Fish Passage Program to remove barriers created by the Morgan Dam and Lawrence Road culverts in Barry County, Michigan. Removal would reconnect High Bank Creek with its headwaters, tributaries, and Thornapple Lake and create a barrier-free system from Thornapple Lake to Mud Creek to Bristol Lake, a distance of 30.4 miles.	$285,714
Ducks Unlimited	Joint Venture: Shiawassee Flats Floodplain	Through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Lakes Joint Venture program, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. will restore hydrology to 141 acre former Flint River floodplain wetland in Saginaw county, Michigan. The area is home to a variety of species that are federally listed or state-listed as threatened or endangered including the Eastern fox snake, the short-eared owl, the Peregrine falcon, least bittern, sturgeon, and river darter.	$99,750
Fish & Wildlife Service	Elias Cove Fish Habitat Native Plantings	The Black Lagoon is a Great Lakes Area of Concern along the Detroit River in the City of Trenton, Michigan. In 2005, sediments contaminated with oil, mercury, lead, zinc and PCBs were removed and portions of the shoreline physically restored. Funds for this project will allow the city to plant aquatic vegetation in the emergent wetland shelf and wet meadow riparian edge around the Cove, providing critically needed spawning and nursery habitat for native fish species in the Detroit River.	$14,286
Friends of the Detroit River	Blue Heron Lagoon/Detroit River Restoration Project	This project will address two Beneficial Use Impairments relating to fish and wildlife in the Detroit River Area of Concern: Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat and Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations. To contribute to the restoration of these beneficial uses, the project proposes to reconnect and naturalize the discharge of Belle Isle Blue Heron Lagoon to the Detroit River, restoring fish access to over 95 acres of existing wetlands, shallow and deep water habitat and over 2.2 miles of canal habitat. In addition, the project will enhance five acres of coastal wetland specifically designed for fish rearing and nursery habitat.	$1,428,994
Alliance of Rouge Communities	Transforming the Rouge AOC	This project will restore riparian corridor, wetlands, and upland habitat in the Rouge River Watershed to advance the delisting of Beneficial Use Impairments. This project will also create 25 acres of native vegetation zones and restore seven acres of wetlands along the Main, Upper and Lower branches of the Rouge River.	$648,750
Fish & Wildlife Service	River Care – A Framework for Restoring Stream Connectivity and Habitat in the Upper Great Lakes	This project represents the first two years of a multi-phase initiative to restore connectivity and improve habitat in over 5,000 miles of the highest quality streams feeding the Great Lakes (eg. Manistee, Black, Maple, Betsie, Pere Marquette, and Jordan rivers). In-stream habitat projects will be implemented at an estimated 20 sites in 7 critical riparian corridors and will restore connectivity of 200 miles and reduce 1,400 tons per year of sediment loading.	$750,000
Fish & Wildlife Service	NFPP – Silver Creek Culvert Replacement on Church Highway (Ocqueoc River Watershed), MI	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in Michigan will work with its partners through the National Fish Passage Program to replace existing undersized culverts on Silver Creek, a tributary to the Ocqueoc River and Lake Huron. A realigned bottomless or elliptical structure will be installed that will reduce water velocities and make it passable for fish, while maintaining a natural stream bottom.	$28,571
Fish & Wildlife Service	NFPP – Upper Great Lakes Stream Connectivity and Habitat Initiative	This project represents the first two years of a five year initiative, which ultimately will restore connectivity of over 600 miles, and improve habitat in over 5,000 miles of the highest quality streams feeding the upper Great Lakes. Objectives for this phase are: engineering design, permitting, and cost estimates; complete construction at 20 sites; pre-and post-construction monitoring; document project completion and share the project approach with others throughout the Great Lakes basin.	$170,900
DEQ	Portage Creek Toxic Substance Source Reduction	This project will restore 1,440 linear feet of habitat in an industrialized section of Portage Creek, by removing deteriorating cement channel walls and contaminated fill material from the upland floodplain area. The project will significantly restore habitat for fish and benthic organisms and address the three habitat-related Beneficial Use Impairments which will lead to delisting the Kalamazoo River Area of Concern.	$3,347,362
Army Corps of Engineers	Grand Rapids Dam Fishway, MI	The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is studying the feasibility of various alternatives to restore fishery passage around the Grand Rapids Dam on the Menominee River, approximately 23 miles upstream of the river`s outlet into Green Bay.	$380,000
Friends of the Detroit River	Detroit River AOC Habitat Restoration – US Steel Site	This project will restore 1,100 feet of shoreline, 1.7 acres of emergent wetlands, 750 feet of rock shoal, and create an acre of fish spawning area in the Detroit River Area of Concern. Additionally, approximately 4.6 acres of upland habitat will be restored adjacent to the shoreline.	$1,200,000
Fish & Wildlife Service	FPP – Salmon Trout River Watershed Culvert Replacement–Crossings #26 Iron Creek & #27 Unnamed Trib, MI	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with partners to restore habitat for native brook trout in the unnamed tributary to the Main Branch Salmon Trout River. Efforts will prevent further degradation of critical habitat for coaster brook trout. This project will implement key recommendations of the Salmon Trout River Watershed Management Plan, Lake Superior Lake-wide Management Plan, Fish Community Objectives for Lake Superior, and the Brook Trout Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Superior.	$93,086
Fish & Wildlife Service	NFFP – St. Joseph River Watershed in Michigan — Fish Migration Barrier Inventory	There are 190 dams and 1000`s of culverts in the St. Joseph River watershed (MI) that may be blocking passage of fish and aquatic organisms. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with its partners to identify migration barriers that meet conditions for immediate removal or ones requiring further study. A strategic plan will be developed to guide future barrier removals, and an inventory will be completed to identify barriers that are negatively impacting fish and wildlife.	$56,057
DEQ	Black Creek Sedimentation and Phosphorus Reductions	This grant will fund construction of a 102-acre flow-through wetland in the Black Creek subwatershed. The constructed wetland is expected to capture 1,005 pounds of phosphorus per year and 6 tons of total suspended solids per year. These pollutant load reductions will improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat, as well as increase public recreational opportunities in the watershed.	$947,000
DEQ	The River Raisin Nitrate Total Maximum Daily Load Reduction Project	This project will support the improvement of the Great Lakes by reducing non-point source pollution that impacts Lake Erie. Advanced technology best management practices will be promoted to reduce nitrate loads to the River Raisin, which flows into Lake Erie.	$741,857
Army Corps of Engineers	Kalamazoo River, Battle Creek, MI	The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is studying the feasibility of various alternatives for restoring natural riverine conditions to a 3,760 foot stretch of the Kalamazoo River in Battle Creek, MI, which was highly modified by a flood control project.	$80,000
Army Corps of Engineers	Boardman River Dams, MI	The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is studying the feasibility of modifying or removing four dams in order to restore fishery passage along the Boardman River in and around Traverse City, MI.	$1,100,000
Alliance of Rouge Communities	Danvers Pond Dam Removal and Stream Restoration	This project will remove the Danvers Pond Dam, located on Pebble Creek, a tributary of the Rouge River. The project will create a naturalized water course and restore the former impoundment bottom lands as an open area connected to the stream to dissipate and store flood waters. The streambank will also be created using bioengineering and naturalizing techniques to prevent erosion, resulting in improved habitat and water quality in the creek.	$499,254
City of Frankenmuth	Fish Passage at the Frankenmuth Dam	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Passage Program in Alpena, Michigan will work with its partners to develop a rock ramp style fish passage sequence at the site of the Frankenmuth Dam in Michigan`s Saginaw Bay Watershed.	$200,000
DNR	River Raisin Wetland Enhancement and Habitat Evaluation	This project will repair dikes and install water control structures for 310 acres of marsh at Sterling State Park. This project will provide habitat for shorebirds, and control the invasion of phragmites on approximately 1,100 acres of public and private lands.	$1,350,000
Fish & Wildlife Service	Avon Creek Restoration	Avon Creek is part of the Clinton River Area of Concern in Michigan, a designated area located just north of Detroit and part of the Lake Huron drainage. The watershed is degraded due to industrial activities and development, resulting in the loss of fish and wildlife habitat, and reductions in fish populations. The City of Rochester Hills will restore natural stream meanders in 825 linear feet of the creek to reduce sedimentation, restore fish habitat, and reduce water temperatures.	$192,857
Fish & Wildlife Service	North Branch Manistee River Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration	The Conservation Resource Alliance of Michigan will work with partners to remove five undersized and sediment clogged culverts aggregated at one road/stream crossing, and replace them with a more environmentally-friendly road crossing structure. Upon completion, the project will provide upstream access to over 30 miles of high quality habitat for fish and aquatic organisms in the North Branch Manistee River, a tributary to the Lake Michigan near Kalkaska, Michigan.	$107,143
The Nature Conservancy	Two Hearted River Watershed Sedimentation Reduction	This project will address the most significant sediment sources within the watershed: road-stream crossings and recreation access sites. This project will systematically improve 12 of the highest priority sites with a net effect of reducing sediment loads in the watershed and nearshore waters of Lake Superior by 25%. The project will also eliminate fish barriers at 4 sites, restoring unrestricted fish access to over 20 miles of high quality stream habitat and a 55-acre lake.	$480,726
Army Corps of Engineers	Marion Mill Pond, MI	The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is studying the feasibility of modifying or removing existing dams in order to restore fishery passage on the Middle Branch River, which is located in the Village of Marion, MI.	$350,000
Army Corps of Engineers	St. Mary`s River, MI	The United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) is studying the feasibility of various alternatives to restore fishery habitat in an approximately 5,000 foot reach of the West Neebish Channel of the St. Marys River in Chippewa County, MI.	$80,000
Fish & Wildlife Service	NFPP-Miller Creek Dam Removal (cold-water tributary to the Thunder Bay River) Hillman, MI	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office will work with partners to remove the existing Miller Creek dam, a tributary to Thunder Bay in Lake Huron. They will restore the stream channel and reconnect this cold-water tributary to the mainstream and provide aquatic species access to 12 miles of upstream habitat. This project will restore the natural hydrologic regime and sediment transport within Miller Creek.	$85,714