Four cities to get Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced over $430,000 in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)  Shoreline Cities grants last week, which will help four cities in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan improve Lake Michigan’s water quality through green infrastructure projects.

Illinois’ Highland Park and Wilmette, Indiana’s Michigan City and Michigan’s Muskegon are among 11 cities across the Great Lakes Basin that will receive a total of $1.8 million to fund up to half of their projects.

“These cities along Lake Michigan will use EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Shoreline Cities grants for green infrastructure projects to protect the lake,” Susan Hedman, EPA Region 5 administrator and Great Lakes National Program Manager, said. “Green infrastructure captures and filters rain where it falls – to reduce flooding and to prevent stormwater from washing contaminants into our waterways.”

The cities’ projects include installing porous pavement, planting trees, and constructing wetlands and rain gardens, among other elements, with Michigan City receiving the largest grant, at $224,823, and Wilmette receiving the smallest, at $8,000.