The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided $3.7 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funds to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the removal of stamp sands in Grand Traverse Harbor near the town of Gay, Michigan.
Stamp sands are a waste product from copper processing that are threatening to cover the 2,200-acre Buffalo Reef in Lake Superior. Dredging is underway and expected to continue through the end of the calendar year.
“This GLRI funding will help protect one of Lake Superior’s most productive fish spawning areas from encroaching mining waste,” says Regional Administrator and Great Lakes National Program Director Cathy Stepp. “Years of collaboration between EPA and its partners have resulted in on-the-ground action that will deliver meaningful results for Lake Superior’s fish population, beach-front communities and fishing and recreational industries.”
For more information, visit epa.gov.
