(March 16, 2020) The Lower Menominee River Area of Concern Draft Final Delisting Report is now out for public comment until April 24. The report outlines AOC remediation and restoration work, details on Beneficial Use Impairment removal, and monitoring—demonstrating that the AOC designation can be removed from the Lower Menominee River. A public meeting webinar will be held Thursday, April 9, 5:00 - 6:00 PM.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has signed a $4.5 million agreement to remediate contaminated sediment in the St. Louis River Area of Concern on Lake Superior. The St. Louis River AOC is one of 43 toxic hotspots identified by the United States and Canada in the Great Lakes basin, and is the second largest AOC in the United States. EPA and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will fund the work through a Great Lakes Legacy Act cost-sharing partnership.  

(March 20, 2020) The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Wisconsin and 4 eastern Wisconsin counties are launching a new network called the Between the Lakes Demonstration Farm Network, which will support farms that will demonstrate best conservation practices that reduce phosphorous loading into the Great Lakes.

(March 17, 2020) NOAA has announced $866,487 in funding for 11 projects under the Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program. The projects support environmental education programs in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Ohio.

(March 13, 2020) The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee has released the 2020 Asian Carp Action Plan. The updated plan includes aggressive new prevention and control efforts, including expanded Asian carp population reduction efforts, large-scale field trials of potential barriers and deterrent technologies, and actions to address black and grass carp threats. Substantial funding for ACRCC activities is provided under GLRI.