September 29, 2003
September 29, 2003
ST. CLAIR SHORES – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Steven Chester today presented two checks totaling $3.2 million in state funds to communities in Southeast Michigan to use for environmental cleanup and water quality monitoring.
"This partnership between Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties and the DEQ will help us protect Lake St. Clair for future generations to enjoy," Granholm said. "These funds will help local communities along Lake St. Clair address a serious environmental problem and put in place water quality monitoring plans to help restore the lake."
Governor Granholm presented a check for $2.5 million to officials from Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties to establish a water quality monitoring program for Lake St. Clair. She also presented a check for $700,000 to the community of St. Clair Shores to complete dredging of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Lange and Revere recreational boating canals.
In 2001, it was discovered that elevated levels of PCBs existed in canals in St. Clair Shores that are near the 10 Mile Drain, an enclosed concrete storm sewer that drains 307 acres of residential and commercial land in the community. In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spent nearly $6 million cleaning up the worst of the PCB "hot spots" in St. Clair Shores. The funds presented today by the Governor will assist the community in completing some of the dredging of canals in the area to clear them of PCBs.
The water quality monitoring program that is being established by Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties is part of an ongoing effort to address pollution concerns in Lake St. Clair, Granholm said.
"Michigan is literally defined by the water that surrounds us. My administration is committed to making sure our state has water protection laws on the books that ensure our citizens have safe, clean water for their personal and recreational uses," Granholm said. "From tourism to transportation of materials, our Great Lakes and the tributaries that connect them are vital to our state’s economy, and it is our duty to make sure they remain environmentally sound for years to come."
