Nutrients and algae blooms biggest areas of concern.
A $470,000 grant will go towards restoring Mona Lake in Muskegon County.
The nearly half million dollars comes from The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program that “provides funding for protection and restoration efforts on the five Great Lakes.”
Officials say, the money, awarded to the Muskegon County Water Resources Commissioner, will help fund efforts to clean Mona Lake of excessive nutrients and algae.
According to a press release, the work is expected to vastly improve fish habitat and the lake’s water quality.
Dr. Rick Rediske is the Senior Program Manager at Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute which will help lead the restoration effort.
“So, (in Mona Lake) there is a lot of algae blooms, and sometimes, when you have too much algae blooming, there’s no oxygen at the bottom of the lake, and there are fish kills,” Rediske said. The lake also has too much nutrients, and there are (too many) aquatic plants growing in the water, so that essentially is the issue.”
Rediske says, the cleanup project, which will take about three years, will include the removal of muck from the bottom of celery ponds and the planting of native vegetation, while crews will develop a fish passage between Mona Lake and Black Creek.