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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky today announced that the Indiana Dunes State Park will receive $1.4 million in federal stimulus funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore the Dunes Creek Watershed. The funding, which was authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is intended to create jobs while restoring the local ecosystem.
“This project not only creates badly needed jobs today, but by improving our natural environment, makes Northwest Indiana a nicer place to live tomorrow,” said Visclosky. “Economic stimulus projects should have an immediate impact on jobs and the economy and also have a lasting impact on our community. That’s exactly what this project does.”
The Indiana Dunes State Park will utilize the funding to restore and reconnect Lake Michigan to nearly six miles of stream spawning habitat for migratory fish. The project will daylight 750 feet of culvert to reconnect 7,407 acres of the Dunes Creek Watershed to Lake Michigan. The project also improves the flood capacity and resiliency along the creek and offers additional flood protection for historic public facilities that serve beachgoers.
NOAA selected shovel-ready projects that not only represented efforts with the greatest ecosystem impact, but also supported the maximum amount of jobs. The Dunes Creek Watershed restoration project was one of three that were chosen out of over 110 proposals from the Great Lakes Region. |
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