Good News for Lake Michigan!

The Environmental Protection Agency and Congressman Danny K. Davis announced the 2011 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants in Illinois Aug. 15.

More than $2.6 million for nine grants were awarded to organizations and agencies in the state to protect and restore Lake Michigan,  including $1.1 million to the Chicago Park District to protect and improve water quality at city
beaches.

The Chicago Park District will use its three grants to groom the city’s 24 beaches on a daily basis, build a protective barrier to make swimming areas cleaner at Montrose or Rainbow beach and to construct a culvert at the 63rd Street Beach. These actions should result in fewer swimming bans and advisories due to contamination.

The funded projects include:

·         $749,121, Chicago Park District (Enhancing Beach Management
for Public Health in Chicago).

·         $243,465,Chicago Park District (A Protective Barrier to
Improve Public Health at Chicago Beaches).

·         $182,500,Chicago Park District (Modification of 63rd Street
Beach to Improve Water Quality).

·         $200,000,Delta Institute (Lake Michigan Forum and Watershed
Academy Implementation).$66,504, Alliance for the Great Lakes (Simple
Avian Management Techniques for Cleaner Beaches).

·         $226,950, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
(Illinois/Lake Michigan Implementation Plan).

·         $349,934, Lake County Health Department and Community Health
Center (Dune and Beach Restoration for Lake Michigan Health).

·         $675,401, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (Dead
Dog Creek Ravine/Stream Restoration Phase 2).

·         $25,000, Shedd Aquarium Society (Great Teens for the Great
Lakes: A New Generation of Advocacy.)