HRWC secured two grants in 2010 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding is going to mapping storm drain connections across the watershed, identifying potential “hot spots” for pollution, monitoring to confirm and find pollution sources, and developing high priority projects for reducing pollution from stormwater sources.
One grant is being awarded to the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner on behalf of local governments and other partners in the middle Huron River watershed. That project is worth nearly $172,000, with $135,000 in grant funds. The second grant is being awarded to the Livingston County Drain Commissioner on behalf of partners in the Chain of Lakes subwatershed. That project is worth $111,000, of which $99,000 is from grant funds. The grants are being awarded through a competitive bid process administered by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (now the Department of Natural Resources and Environment). HRWC will be working with local government partners in both projects to help identify and eliminate pollution sources from the watershed.