In addition to the LFA's includion in the recently-approved state budget, two other budget items were approved to help restore Grand Lake St. Marys: $1.1 million to fund the Coldwater Creek Treatment Train, and 900,000 to fund the purchase of a fourth dredge to be used on Grand Lake St. Marys.
The Coldwater Creek Treatment Train will be similar to the Prairie Creek Treatment Train, which employs natural and artificial means to clean water from Prairie Creek before it enters Grand Lake St. Marys. Prairie Creek and Coldwater Creek are two of the three major tributaries to Grand Lake St. Marys, and the ultimate goal is to have treatment trains located at each major tributary.
The fourth dredge will help boost already-record sediment removal from Grand Lake St. Marys. Together, dredging and treatment trains represent two parts of a multi-part science-based approach to restoring Grand Lake St. Marys. Treatment trains clean incoming water dredging helps clean water that is already in the lake.
Both items were introduced to the budget by State Senator Keith Faber. Read more about the projects in Shelley Grieshop's article, published in the Daily Standard.