News and Updates

GLRI Project Treats Stormwater Runoff While Protecting Lake Trout in Duluth, Minnesota

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is supporting a partnership between St. Louis County, the City of Duluth and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to implement green infrastructure practices at Hartley Park to protect water quality in Tischer Creek.

April 1, 2026

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Announces $1.6 Million in Grants Available to Support Restoration Projects

The newly launched Western New York Great Lakes Restoration Grant Program is seeking applications for community projects to address invasive species, reduce stormwater runoff, or restore habitat. Funding for the program is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

March 31, 2026

Great Lakes Commission Releases a Request for Proposals to Manage Invasive Phragmites

The Great Lakes Commission released a request for proposals to support the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework. Groups can apply for funding to implement specific combinations of approaches on which data is lacking to help improve future guidance under the Framework. Funding for the program is provided under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

March 31, 2026

EPA Resumes Sediment Cleanup Project in Cuyahoga Falls

In early March, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began the second year of its cleanup project on the Cuyahoga River in Gorge Metro Park. Throughout the duration of the project, EPA expects to remove more than 850,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the river.

March 27, 2026

New Study Shows the Success of GLRI Demonstration Farms

A first-of-its-kind study by the University of Illinois found that GLRI Demonstration Farms increased the adoption of cover crops among farmers in Eastern Wisconsin by 50% — a key improvement which will make a lasting impact in reducing nutrient runoff in the region.

February 24, 2026

Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program Releases a Request for Proposals

The Great Lakes Commission issued a request for proposals for projects that will help improve Great Lakes water quality by reducing nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds and eroding shorelines and streams.

February 20, 2026

Great Lakes Commission Awards Nearly $315,000 to Help Manage Invasive Phragmites

Using funding provided from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Great Lakes Commission’s 21 grants will help local organizations better control one of the most aggressive invasive plants in the Great Lakes basin.

February 4, 2026

Increasing Habitat and Supporting Native Fish in Saginaw Bay

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission completed construction of a nearshore rock reef by Channel Island using GLRI funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Habitat Conservation.

February 3, 2026

EPA and Partners Announce more than $200 Million to Clean Up Grand Calumet River Area of Concern

The project will remove over 240,000 cubic yards of contaminated canal and river bottom sediment and remediate over 100 acres of sediment at two sites in the AOC.

January 26, 2026

Degradation of Benthos BUI removed at Eighteenmile Creek AOC

The Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment was removed from the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern after federal, state, and local partners concluded that communities of benthic macroinvertebrates are not negatively impacted by PCBs.

November 25, 2025