Environment

Harbors study ways to attract big yachts

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By IAN KULLGREN
Capital News Service
LANSING – A yearlong economic study funded by the federal government will help Great Lakes coastal communities capitalize on the growing recreational boating market. The federal government awarded $471,000 to Michigan Sea Grant that includes a portion to help communities come up with ways to draw more tourists to their local harbors. Sea Grant will choose four coastal communities around the state, including at least one on Lake St. Clair, to participate in the study over the next year. The findings will be published to give other cities and towns ideas on how to maximize the advantages of their harbors.

Environment

Congress expands Great Lakes projects, 14 projects planned for Michigan

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By Qing Zhang
Capital News Service
LANSING — Everybody knows water flows, but not many people know that the sediment below it does too. That’s why harbors need dredging, or excavating the gradually accumulated material on the bottom and transporting it elsewhere. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District planned eight dredging projects in Michigan and Wisconsin for 2014 at a cost of $13.2 million. But Congress recently allocated an additional $17.8 million. That allows the district to include eight new projects and increase funding for four of the original projects.