News and Updates

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

Using GLRI Funds to Set Up Habitat Restoration Projects for Success

NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and other partners are leveraging funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to advance habitat restoration projects in all eight Great Lakes states.

November 25, 2025

Great Lakes Commission Awards More Than $1.7M to Reduce Runoff and Improve Great Lakes Water Quality

Seven projects in Indiana, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin were selected for funding through the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program.

November 24, 2025

Giving Lake Sturgeon a Strong Start

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and its partners are helping restore and reintroduce this vital Great Lakes species by intervening as caretakers early in the lake sturgeon’s lifecycle.

November 17, 2025

Marking Fish for Maximum Impact

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s mass marking program is supporting the recovery of lake trout populations thanks to funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

November 13, 2025

EPA and EGLE Celebrate Removal of Muskegon Lake Area of Concern from List of Most Environmentally Degraded Areas in the Great Lakes

In September, Muskegon Lake became the 8th overall U.S. AOC delisted and the 7th delisted under the GLRI. The designation comes after years of restoration and remediation work which restored more than 134 acres of habitat and 6,000 linear feet of shoreline.

October 8, 2025