Kaptur Welcomes EPA Projects in Lucas County Under Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Press Release

Congresswoman Kaptur welcomed the announcement by U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson of three projects in Lucas County under the congressionally-authorized Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

"Lake Erie is again threatened by pollution and environmental degradation," said Congresswoman Kaptur, "which threatens our drinking water, the fishery, and a major tourist attraction that brings millions of dollars into our region.

"We have to invest in a natural resource as vital as the Lake Erie ecosystem."

The three projects, totaling almost $1 million, are aimed at improving the quality of the environment in the western Lake Erie basin.

The largest project ($550,228) is designed to help improve the water quality in Lake Erie.

The University of Toledo will study the feasibility of tile drain caps as a way to reduce contamination of waterways by contaminants from biosolids that are applied to farm fields in northwest Ohio.

Another project ($250,000) will enhance plant and wildlife habitat in western Lake Erie through the beneficial use of dredged sediment. The Toledo Harbor Sediment Management Plan will also be completed, resulting in detailed plans to manage all material that is dredged from the Toledo Harbor shipping channels.

A third project, totaling $168,000, will reforest Maumee Bay State Park in Lucas County and Mary Jane Thurston State Park, which is located on the south bank of the Maumee in both Henry and Wood counties. The ash tree populations at both parks have been decimated by an invasive species, the emerald ash borer. At least 500 replacement trees are needed to replace damaged trees that have been removed at Maumee Bay State Park.

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