Federal Investments are Producing Results in Minnesota

From 2009 through 2017, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has invested $124 million in 184 projects in Minnesota to restore habitat, fight invasive species, clean up toxic pollution, and reduce polluted runoff. Steel walls that line working rivers in Duluth are being converted into natural shoreline, allowing fish and wildlife to return. Cleaned up waterways like the St. Louis River are inviting once more to folks for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing.

But Serious Threats Remain

Lake Superior continues to be threatened by toxic pollution from old industrial sites. Habitat degradation leads to polluted runoff entering streams that flow into the lakes. And to keep drinking water and wastewater safe, Minnesota needs $9.9 billion over the next 20 years to repair and replace crumbling infrastructure. We need the federal government to continue partnering with Minnesota to invest in Great Lakes restoration and affordable water infrastructure to protect our lakes.

Contact Your Member of Congress

Let your members of congress know they should take action to protect the Great Lakes! Find out how to contact your senators and representative here. Tell them:

• The Great Lakes are our most important source of fresh water, providing drinking water to 30 million people. We must continue our efforts to clean and restore them.
• Although we have made progress the lakes still face serious threats.
• We can’t afford to stop now. These projects to clean up our lakes will only get harder and more expensive the longer we wait.