WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown today announced more than $174,000 in new federal funding to support green infrastructure projects in Euclid that will help improve the health of Lake Erie. The City of Euclid was awarded the funding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Shoreline Cities grant program.
“Ohio’s shoreline cities are leading our ongoing efforts to improve the health of Lake Erie. This significant investment will allow our shoreline cities to pursue infrastructure that will help clean up the lake and protect the water supply.”
The City of Euclid will use the $174,206 award to construct rain gardens and bioswales at Sims Park to help prevent the discharge of over 500,000 gallons of untreated stormwater per year into Lake Erie. Bioretention ponds and porous concrete will also be installed at a downtown parking lot to prevent the discharge of an additional 88,000 gallons of untreated stormwater per year into Lake Erie.
The EPA’s GLRI Shoreline Cities grant program aims to give communities the resources they need to fund infrastructure projects that will improve the water quality of the Great Lakes.
Brown recognizes the importance of preserving our Great Lakes. Earlier this year, Brown cosponsored the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act (GLEEPA), bipartisan legislation that would protect the Great Lakes by formally authorizing the GLRI. Last year, Brown helped secure more than $300 million in bipartisan Omnibus Bill funds for the GLRI. After the release of President Obama’s budget proposal which recommends a reduction in GLRI funding from $300 million to $250 million, Brown again highlighted the importance of the program.
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