Michigan is putting nearly $50 million toward cleaning toxic PCBs out of the bottom of the Detroit River. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the money on Oct. 1 as part of Reclaim the Rivers, a statewide river cleanup plan with a goal of “lasting, transformational change” on the Detroit and Kalamazoo rivers by 2040.
The state’s dollars can also go further than their face value. Under the federal Great Lakes Legacy Act, Michigan can draw close to $2 in federal money for every $1 it spends on cleaning contaminated sediment, according to the governor’s office.
What the money is for
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are industrial chemicals that settle into river sediment and build up in fish. Along with PAHs, mercury and other pollutants, they are a legacy of the factories that lined the river for more than a century, and they are a big reason anglers are told to limit how much Detroit River fish they eat.
Beyond the sediment work, the state says the investment will restore fish and wildlife habitat, expand boating access, improve Belle Isle and other public land, and close gaps in the Iron Belle Trail. It will also support the river’s walleye fishery, which draws anglers from across the region every spring.
“Over the past 25 years, Detroit has reclaimed its riverfront from centuries of industrial use to give it back to the people,” Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said in the announcement.
The rest of the $89 million
The state is calling Reclaim the Rivers an $89 million commitment. Besides the Detroit River money, it includes $25 million for the Kalamazoo River watershed, paid for by the Morrow Dam settlement, and a fund of more than $14 million for river restoration elsewhere in Michigan, including dam removals and wetland work.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Department of Natural Resources are leading the work together. Joint teams for each river will work with local governments, tribes and groups like Friends of the Detroit River to decide which projects come first, and the state says community input will help guide how the money is spent.
A riverfront that already draws millions
The Detroit riverfront already draws an estimated 3 million visitors a year, according to the state. Cleaner water and sediment would add to two decades of riverfront work on land, from the RiverWalk to the parks along the east and west riverfronts, by finally addressing what sits at the bottom of the river itself.