Online at www.glc.org/basin
Water quality grants target soil erosion, sedimentation

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- The Great Lakes Commission has awarded $1.9 million for projects and programs that will improve water quality in the Great Lakes basin through improved land management practices. Forty-two agencies and organizations spanning all eight Great Lakes states will receive these funds in 2003 (pending completion of grant agreements) under the Commission’s highly competitive Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control.

“The Great Lakes Basin Program is a decade-long success story in state, federal and local partnership,” said Dr. Michael J. Donahue, president/CEO of the Great Lakes Commission. “It’s a great example of how we can achieve water quality and related ecosystem restoration goals by promoting innovative land-use practices.”

Established in 1991 and authorized under the recent Farm Bill, the Great Lakes Basin Program has supported 259 projects and invested more than $7.7 million in water quality improvement efforts, while attracting an additional $5.3 million in nonfederal matching funds. More than 117,000 acres of land have been placed under various forms of erosion and sediment control under the program. In the process, it has involved thousands of community volunteers in watershed improvement projects, improved local ecosystems, and built support for ongoing ecosystem restoration efforts.

Information on the program, including details of completed projects, is available at www.glc.org/basin, a recently updated web site that features project-specific image galleries, expanded online materials and publications, and advanced search options that enable users to search for completed projects by erosion type, project type, and location. The web site also provides news updates and funding information, and an extensive list of project management tools and models.

“As our program grows, we need to promote technology transfer among resource managers,” said Gary Overmier, project manager. “We also need to let the general public know how our work is improving land use and water quality throughout the region.”

The Great Lakes Basin Program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service. Projects are selected by the Commission’s Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Task Force, whose membership consists of state and federal resource managers.

View the 2003 Great Lakes Basin Program grants

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Samuel W. Speck (Ohio), is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency created by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of state legislators, agency officials, and governors' appointees from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a "Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.