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Grand Calumet River Area of Concern

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Lake Michigan Beach Monitoring and Notification

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Lake Michigan Protection & Restoration

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Indiana Clean Marinas

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Indiana Clean Boaters

Lake Michigan: An Indiana Resource

Lake Michigan is the second largest Great Lake by volume and the largest freshwater lake in the United States. Although people might not think of Indiana as a Great Lakes state, 241 square miles of Lake Michigan and 45 square miles of its shoreline are found in the state. A total of 604 square miles within the northern part of the state drains into Lake Michigan.

Challenges Facing Lake Michigan

Overall, the lake continues to provide safe, clean drinking water and safe recreational opportunities and concentrations of many toxic chemicals continue to decline. In addition, destructive sea lamprey remain under control and there has been increased natural reproduction of several native species such as lake sturgeon and lake trout. However, Lake Michigan continues to be subject to habitat degradation, nuisance and harmful algal blooms in Green Bay and other selected nearshore areas, contaminant-driven restrictions on the consumption of certain fish species, and major food web impacts caused by aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, such as quagga mussels, round goby, purple loosestrife, and common reed.

How IDEM is Protecting Lake Michigan

Because Lake Michigan is such an essential asset and faces pressing environmental challenges, IDEM implements several programs that support its protection and restoration. Many of these programs assist the federal government in carrying out its responsibilities under the U.S. – Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The programs help the agency monitor the status of the lake and its watershed, address historical contamination, prevent and combat invasive species, and conduct other actions. IDEM has many federal, state, and local partners in this effort.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is a federal program that has, since 2010, provided funding for protection and restoration efforts on the five Great Lakes. The GLRI is guided by an action plan with detailed performance goals and clear accountability standards. A federal interagency task force, led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), coordinates efforts and directs funding to states, cities and nongovernmental groups that are best able to address local restoration priorities.

GLRI provides funding across five focus areas:

  1. Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern
  2. Invasive Species
  3. Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health
  4. Habitat Protection and Restoration
  5. Foundations for Future Restoration Actions (education, science and monitoring, and other cross-cutting work)

GLRI Competitive Project Funding

IDEM encourages agencies or organizations involved in Great Lakes restoration to seek funding through periodic competitive grant opportunities. Competitive opportunities are typical open to a wide range of applicants who are invited by U.S. EPA or another federal agency to submit a funding application for a particular type of project work. Interested parties are also encouraged to track announcements on websites or email listservs for federal agencies and the Great Lakes Commission.

Other GLRI Project Funding

Periodically, U.S. EPA may fund GLRI proposals that are supported by the state. These proposals must be tied to both GLRI and Lake Michigan Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) priorities and the applicant must be a federal, state, or local governmental agency or organization with specific jurisdictional authority under federal or Indiana state law. Entities or coalitions interested in applying for funding are encouraged to contact IDEM’s Lake Michigan Programs staff with their project ideas early in the development process.

Other Funding Programs

IDEM’s Office of Water Quality has compiled an extensive list of private and public grants and other funding mechanisms that can potentially be used to fund watershed programs. In addition, at the federal level, Grants.gov can be used to search for competitive funding opportunities.

Annual Reports

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Documents

Lakewide Action and Management Plans (LAMPs)

Watershed Plans

Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Reports

Other Documents and Reports

 

 

Lake Michigan Basin Webinar Series (2020-2021)

General Contact Information

Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Northwest Regional Office
330 West US Highway 30, Suite F
Valparaiso, IN 46385

Subject-specific Contacts