U.S Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator/Great Lakes National Program Manager Susan Hedman has announced a $15 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant – the largest single GLRI grant awarded to date by EPA – to the city of Lorain for restoration work in the Black River Area of Concern on Lake Erie.
The Black River AOC is on the binational list of toxic hotspots that have been targeted for cleanup under the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur and Mayor Chase Ritenauer joined Hedman at Black River Landing to highlight the projects that will be funded by this GLRI grant.
“This new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding will accelerate restoration work needed to protect Lake Erie and to clean up the Black River Area of Concern ,” Hedman said. “This work will reduce threats to public health and restore native habitat along the Black River.”
Over the next two years, the city of Lorain will remove 24 acres of contaminated sediment from the Black River floodplain and create in-stream habitat for native fish and other aquatic species.
In addition, more than 500,000 cubic yards of steel mill byproducts will be removed from the river’s floodplain. Since 2010, GLRI funding totaling $23 million – including approximately $16 million from EPA – has been awarded for restoration projects in the Black River AOC.
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