This grant program helps Michigan’s watershed organizations conserve and educate

What’s happening: A total of 17 different watershed organizations have been awarded more than $600,000 in conservation grants from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). As part of the stipulations of the program, each project will be completed within one year from receiving the grants.

What it is: The grants were awarded as part of EGLE’s Nonpoint Source (NPS) pollution management program. Nonpoint Source pollution refers to the pollution brought to our watersheds by way of rain, snowmelt, or wind. More information about applying for the grants is available via the EGLE website.

Why it is: The NPS grants support Michigan’s watershed organizations in their conservation and educational efforts. And judging by the amount of applications for this most recent grant round, the financial boost is more than welcome. While more than $600,000 was awarded to a total of 17 organizations, far more applied for support with EGLE receiving 68 applications requesting more than $2.5 million in grants this time around.

Who gets what: The watershed organizations receiving EGLE’s NPS grants include Adrian’s River Raisin Watershed Council ($39,974); Ann Arbor’s Huron River Watershed Council ($23,304); Bay City’s Bay County Soil Conservation District ($39,050); Cassopolis’s Diamond Lake Association ($40,000); Centreville’s St. Joseph County Conservation District ($39,868); Detroit’s Detroit Water and Sewerage Department ($40,000); Flint’s City of Flint Water Pollution Control ($40,000); Grand Rapids’ Calvin University ($37,100); Hesperia’s White River Watershed Partnership ($15,000); Ishpeming’s Marquette County Road Commission ($39,553); Ithaca’s Gratiot Conservation District ($38,965); Kingsford’s Dickinson Conservation District ($39,973); Lake City’s Missaukee Conservation District ($38,876); Montague’s White Lake Association ($39,999); Mount Pleasant’s Isabella Conservation District ($34,550); Rochester Hills’ Clinton River Watershed Council ($40,000); and Roscommon’s Gerrish Lyon Utility Authority ($40,000).

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