BROWN ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $4.3 MILLION IN GREAT LAKES RESTORATION FUNDS TO FIGHT LAKE ERIE ALGAE BLOOMS IN NORTHWEST OHIO
More Than $5.3 Million in Great Lakes Restoration Funding Awarded Statewide
Brown Helped Secure $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Last Year
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded federal resources to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to combat harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), an interagency effort to protect the Great Lakes.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was awarded $3,696,182 to prevent phosphorous from flowing into Lake Erie from the Maumee River watershed through cropland retirement, stream and wetland restoration, and stabilization of eroding stream banks; and $689,060 to stop nutrient runoff and soil erosion in the Sandusky River watershed.
“We saw last summer how harmful algae in Lake Erie can threaten our water supply and our economy,” Brown said. “These federal resources will help support the proactive role we’ve seen northwest Ohio take in protecting our lake. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is critical in our fight to keep Lake Erie healthy and we must ensure its continued funding.”
According to the State of Ohio, more than $10 billion of the state’s nearly $40 billion tourism industry is derived from counties along the Lake Erie shoreline. Restoration efforts in the region are essential to maintaining a strong economy along the Ohio coast. The EPA awarded a total of $5,313,721 for invasive plant species control projects across Ohio. Below is a full list of awardees:
| Award Recipient | Award Amount | Project Area |
| Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc. City of Wickliffe Cleveland Metroparks |
$178,479 | Deer Creek/Gully Brook Watershed |
| Ohio Environmental Protection Agency | $3,696,182 | Maumee River Watershed |
| Ohio Environmental Protection Agency | $689,060 | Sandusky River Watershed |
| Western Reserve Land Conservancy | $750,000 | Grand River Watershed |
Brown recognizes the importance of preserving our Great Lakes. Last month, Brown cosponsored the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act (GLEEPA), bipartisan legislation that would protect the Great Lakes – and the millions of jobs they support – by formally authorizing the GLRI. Last year, Brown helped secure more than $300 million in bipartisan Omnibus Bill funds for the GLRI. After the release of President Obama’s budget proposal which recommends a reduction in GLRI funding from $300 million to $250 million, Brown again highlighted the importance of the program.
