Congressman Sander Levin

(Washington D.C.)- Rep. Sander Levin praised Governor Granholm’s announcement today that two projects in communities bordering Lake St. Clair are eligible to receive funding under the economic recovery legislation recently approved by Congress.

The two Lake St. Clair-related projects eligible for assistance would provide federal Clean Water funds to projects in Center Line and Fraser to correct longstanding problems with the sanitary sewers in these communities.  Rep. Levin contacted Governor Granholm in February to underscore the need to continue to reduce pollution in the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair.

“Using the recovery funds for these projects will help reduce pollution in the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair,” said Rep. Levin.  “This is an excellent use of the economic recovery funds.  It will create jobs and keep millions of gallons of raw sewage from fouling the environment.”

Congress included a total of $4 billion in the economic recovery bill to help states and localities address water infrastructure needs.  Michigan received a total of $168.5 million for its Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program.  Since the late 1980s, Congress has provided funding each year to help capitalize the states’ SRFs, which provide low-interest loans to help communities upgrade sewer and water treatment plants.  The amount of clean water funding Congress provided to Michigan in the recovery bill was six times larger than the amount of Clean Water SRF money allocated to Michigan in 2008.

Since the Clean Water Revolving Fund was created in the late 1980s, the Michigan SFR has awarded over $3 billion to Michigan communities to upgrade water infrastructure. 

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