GLIN==> Muskegon Lake Habitat Restoration Recovery Act Project Moving Forward; Contracts Awarded for Engineering, Design and Initial Construction

For immediate release: Dec. 8, 2009

Muskegon Lake Habitat Restoration Recovery Act Project Moving Forward;
Contracts Awarded for Engineering, Design and Initial Construction
http://www.glc.org/announce/09/12muskegoncontract.html


Design and construction work is being initiated on a $30 million project to
restore the shoreline along Muskegon Lake on the east shore of Lake
Michigan. Spurred by a $10 million grant from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,
the Muskegon Lake Habitat Restoration Project will not only improve habitat
for fish and wildlife, but also create jobs and provide a boost to the local
economy.

The Great Lakes Commission received the grant earlier this year and has
partnered with the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission
(WMSRDC), which is responsible for local project management and
administration. The project is being coordinated in collaboration with the
Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership, landowners, and other local partners.
The project will restore 10,000 feet of shoreline “hardened” over the past
century with broken concrete, foundry slag, sheet metal and other materials.
The project will also remove more than 180,000 tons of degraded lake fill to
restore fish and wildlife habitat and improve recreational opportunities.

In November WMSRDC awarded a $321,000 contract to the consulting firm JFNew
to provide engineering design and construction management services for six
of the ten restoration sites. Staff from JFNew’s Grand Haven office will
oversee construction during the largest phase of the project. Construction
on the first two restoration sites will begin soon. WMSRDC recently awarded
the construction contract for this work to Muskegon-based Jackson-Merkey
Contractors. Construction on other sites will commence next spring, with the
overall project scheduled for completion by the end of 2010.

“Michigan’s Green Jobs for Blue Waters Initiative recognizes that our
environmental health is closely tied to our economic vitality,” said
Lieutenant Governor John D. Cherry. “The Muskegon Lake Restoration Project
will help to restore the habitat and recreational value while enhancing the
community’s quality of life.”

The project will provide an immediate boost to the local economy, generating
almost 40,000 labor hours to support 125 jobs, largely in engineering and
construction. In the long term the project will rehabilitate fish and
wildlife resources and improve recreational opportunities on Muskegon Lake.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fishing, hunting and
wildlife associated recreation generated $4.2 billion in economic activity
in Michigan in 2006.

“Progress on this large project has been much faster than we had
anticipated. The community is very excited about reclaiming our lakeshore
heritage,” said Sandeep Dey, WMSRDC executive director.

“The Muskegon Lake project will bolster an important component of the local
economy. The Great Lakes Commission appreciates NOAA’s support for this
important restoration effort and is pleased to help advance the goals of our
partners in Muskegon. This is a tremendous “win” for the Great Lakes,” said
Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission.

Muskegon Lake was designated an Area of Concern under the U.S.-Canada Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement due to historic filling of open water and
wetlands, and pollution discharges that contaminated the lake bottom. The
Muskegon River flows into Muskegon Lake and then through a harbor channel to
Lake Michigan. The lake is part of one of the world’s largest assemblages of
freshwater sand dunes. It provides habitat for fish and wildlife that reside
in Lake Michigan and the Muskegon River. Sawmill, industrial and commercial
demolition material has filled 798 acres of shallow water and wetlands in
Muskegon Lake and approximately 74 percent of the shoreline has been
hardened. This has resulted in the loss, isolation and fragmentation of
shallow water and wetland habitats and their protective buffer zones, and
the associated degradation of fish and wildlife populations. This loss has
prevented public access to the lake’s natural resources, degraded the
quality of life for residents and hampered efforts to attract tourism and
businesses to the area.

The project will achieve a significant portion of the restoration targets
established for Muskegon Lake. This includes 42 percent of shoreline to be
softened (10,007 linear feet); 16 percent of the emergent and upland
wetlands to be restored (11.6 acres); 82 percent of the open water wetlands
to be restored (15.6 acres); and 19 percent of the unnatural fill material
to be removed (23.6 acres). A complete factsheet on the project is available
online at
http://www.glc.org/announce/09/pdf/Fact%20Sheet_NOAA_Muskegon%20Lake%20ARRA%
20Award_June%2009_FINAL.pdf .


Contact: Matt Doss, Policy Director, Great Lakes Commission
Phone: 734-971-9135 (work), 734-474-1985 (cell) 
E-mail: mdoss at glc.org 
 
Contact: Sandeep Dey, Executive Director; Kathy Evans, Program Manager
West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission
Phone: 231-722-7878, ext. 17


 


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The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Gov. Patrick Quinn (Ill.), is an
interstate compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and
dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high
quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents.
The Commission consists of governors' appointees, state legislators, and
agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for
Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a "Declaration of
Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving
U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies
and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann
Arbor, Michigan.

The West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC) is a
federal and state designated regional planning and development agency
serving 127 local governments in Lake, Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, and
northern Ottawa Counties. WMSRDC is also responsible for the management and
administration of the homeland security program for the counties of Clare,
Ionia, Isabella, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo,
Oceana, Osceola, and Ottawa. 
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