Approximately $10 million in funding is being allocated to study and plan cleanup work along the Detroit River, state and federal agencies announced this week.
The U.S. Environmental Protection will provide $6.5 million of the total funding for the remediation efforts, with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) providing the remaining $3.5 million.
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The Detroit River has been designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the U.S. and Canada since 1987 due to decades of industrial pollution, untreated waste discharges, stormwater runoff and habitat degradation.
While a significant amount of work has already been done in recent years to restore the riverfront and ecosystems along the Detroit River shorelines, additional cleanup efforts are needed to ensure it remains safe and clean for generations to come.
“Through strong partnerships at the federal, state and local levels, we are making real progress cleaning up contamination, restoring critical habitat and reconnecting communities to the river,” EGLE Director Phil Roos said in a news release. “This funding ensures that momentum continues.”
The Detroit River AOC extends the full length of the river and impacts several Metro Detroit communities, including Detroit, River Rouge, Ecorse, Wyandotte, Grosse Ile, Trenton and Gibraltar.
Restoring the Detroit River remains a collaborative effort involving several local, state and federal partners, including NOAA Fisheries, Friends of the Detroit River, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Detroit Historical Society, the Belle Isle Conservancy, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and the Detroit Zoological Society.