Michigan is putting $89 million toward cleaning up the Detroit and Kalamazoo Rivers and related waterways. Federal, state, and local officials met at Belle Isle in Detroit Thursday afternoon to announce the Reclaim the Rivers initiative.
Money will come from pollution settlements with companies like Monsanto and the operator of the Morrow Dam. A chunk of that money will go toward addressing the legacy of decades of industrial pollution.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy will partner on the effort.
EGLE director Phil Roos said both the Detroit and Kalamazoo Rivers need help. He spoke to reporters at the Belle Isle announcement ceremony.
“This is such an important waterway, a big waterway, so there are more pockets where it’s happening here than other places. But the Kalamazoo River, which is part of this initiative, has several places, a couple of Superfund sites,” Roos said. “There’s plenty of contamination to go around.”
Superfund sites are heavily contaminated areas the federal Environmental Protection Agency prioritizes for cleanup. Roos said every dollar spent on cleaning up the riverways and preparing them for other uses brings much more back to the state by way of commercial and other spending.
Michigan already promotes swimming, fishing, and other recreational activities on many of its waterways, including the Detroit River.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said some of the continued need is because Michigan has relatively high environmental standards when it comes to industrial pollution.
“When you are being as forward-looking and aggressive as we are, you find a lot more. It’s not unique to Michigan. Unfortunately, this is a story that’s playing out across the country,” Whitmer told reporters.
Both the Detroit and Kalamazoo Rivers are listed as EPA areas of concern for the Great Lakes region.
Other uses for the Reclaim the Rivers money include restoring fish habitat and creating more riverfront access for the public. Government officials said they hope to use the state spending to attract more funding from federal, local, and private sources.
Detroit City Councilman Scott Benson echoed the point that making the waterways more usable would help economically.
“Now that we have our federal [and] state partners coming in with the resources to be able to help that, you can see what the results are and how we have families flocking. So, it’s just, as we clean up and expose more spaces to recreational uses, it allows more families to come down and enjoy our riverfront,” Benson said.
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