New federal money is the start of an effort to make Great Lakes coasts more resilient
Michigan is getting some federal money to help preserve coastlines in this era of climate change.
The Great Lakes region is getting about $2.8 million for coastal conservation, restoration of wetlands, and making the coastline more resilient to the changes caused by climate disruption.
Given the length of Great Lakes coastlines, that’s not a lot of money.
Michigan’s share is about a third of that.
“Michigan will get $875,000 that it will be able to spend over the next five years to address those impacts of climate change and community resilience,” said Joelle Gore, chief of the Stewardship Division for NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management.
This round of grants is just the beginning. Competitive grants in greater amounts will be released as well.
The money can be used to assess a community’s vulnerabilities. It could also be used to buy land to be a coastal buffer instead of a development that could end up being a disaster site during the next round of high lake levels. Finally, the money can be used to preserve or restore wetlands.
“Restoring important ecosystems that help protect and serve as sponges when lake levels rise, when there are extreme weather that might bring flooding,” Gore explained.
With the fluctuating levels of the Great Lakes, the hard barriers such as concrete or steel walls are being discouraged in many cases. Experts say a nature-based solution will work better to adapt to a changing shoreline rather than trying to fight against the inevitable changes that a changing climate will cause.
Bids reach $16K for century-old U.P. lighthouse
CHASSELL, MI – A century-old historic Upper Peninsula lighthouse could be yours.
The Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light went up for auction earlier this month. Bidding has reached $16,000.
Also known as Portage Entry Light or the Portage Lake Lower Entry Light, it became an active navigational aid in 1919. The light guided mariners into the Portage River, a waterway that cuts through the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The light is situated on a pier in Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Bay nearly half a mile offshore. The 1,000-square-foot lighthouse stands 68 feet tall. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
The lighthouse went up for auction on Aug. 1 via the General Services Administration’s real estate sales website. Bidding started at $10,000. Five people have placed bids. The end date for the auction has not been set.
The new owner must be able to comply with the requirements of the National Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.
Since the passing of the Lighthouse Preservation Act, the GSA has transferred ownership of about 150 lighthouses, with around 80 being given away and the other 70 auction off, raising more than $10 million. The Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light is one of 10 being offered this year.
$43 million sewage project underway in Macomb County
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich (WJBK) – Major upgrades are underway in Macomb County to keep sewage from leaking into Lake St.Clair.
The project, totaling $43 million, is going towards preventing sewage overflows and preparation for heavy rains in the future.
According to the Alliance for the Great Lakes, tens of billions of gallons of raw or poorly treated sewage ends up in our lakes.
“Literally for decades we’ve been discharging combined sewer overflows after heavy rain events,” said Commissioner Candice Miller of Macomb County Public Works.
Overflows are coming from multiple places in Metro Detroit, not just from the Chapiton pump station. This is where the canal and Retention Treatment Basin are getting an upgrade to an additional 13 million gallons of storage.
“We are creating additional storage so that after ir rains, we’re able to store it and treat it until the rain has passed and then send down to Detroit for proper treatment,” Miller said.
A second project upgrades the electrical systems at the pump station including adding generators in case the lights go out, which we’ve seen all too often.
Many of these electrical components date back to 1968.
“Hubert Humphrey cut the ribbon on this thing, which was great back in the day – but unfortunately a lot of the infrastructure remains,” Miller said.
The bulk of the money comes from the American Rescue Plan act.
“We’re finding little ways to reduce these combined sewer overflows year after year. So in Macomb County, we are making huge strides,” said State Senate Kevin Hertel.
Officials say the projects should also help with basement flooding.
Overflow is expected to be reduced by 38 percent and the project is expected to take two years to complete.
