PHOTO BY ANGELA TYLER
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is funding a $3.1 million project implemented by West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC) to clean up Muskegon Lake, reports mlive.com. The project is part of a years-long strategy to reverse decades of damage and pollution done to the lake through sawmill debris, foundry sand and concrete fill as a result of the timber industry and later foundries and factories that dumped tons of wood, slag and toxic foundry waste into the waterway.
Now owned by the City of Muskegon, Muskegon Lake is an inlet on Lake Michigan that has become a recreational haven for boaters and anglers due to recent efforts to restore the waterway. The lake now boasts marinas, parks and residences.
This latest phase in the lake clean-up will restore 10.3 acres of wetlands and 325 linear feet of shoreline, and remove 4,250 tons of unnatural fill from the lake, in addition to removing a 1,446-foot-long, 5-foot-tall concrete wall.
“I don’t know why there’s still so much there,” Kathy Evans, environmental program manager for the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC), told mlive.com. “Muskegon Lake holds a lot of surprises.”
These latest clean-up efforts are part of three expected projects needed to remove the lake from the EPA’s Great Lakes Area of Concern list. To read more, visit mlive.com.
