The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay has received $499,000 in federal funds for its Village of Northport Stormwater Reduction Project.

“There is a significant amount of stormwater generated in the area surrounding the main street through the Village of Northport,” says Sarah U’Ren, program director with The Watershed Center. “Our remediation techniques use green infrastructure methods, including the use of tree box filters, pervious pavement and rain gardens to reduce the amount of stormwater that flows into Grand Traverse Bay.”

The grant is from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which strategically targets the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem via protection and restoration projects. The Watershed Center is one of four organizations in the state of Michigan to receive project funding in the watershed restoration category.

“While the waters of Grand Traverse Bay are not yet impaired on a wide-scale basis, our goal is to protect the Bay from future impairment by completing projects like this,” says U’Ren.