Muskegon Lake AOC case study released

Sep 28, 2018

Muskegon Lake's early years supported a flourishing lumber and foundry town, but this came at a price. Contaminated sediments, degraded habitat, and elevated contaminant levels in fish have kept people from enjoying the lake. Now, after decades of restoration efforts, Muskegon is on track to implement by 2020 all identified management actions required for restoring impaired beneficial uses of the lake. Restoration investments are projected to reap a six-to-one return on investment as measured in the value of recreation, the number of new visitors, and the increase in housing value, according to a report released today by IAGLR.

The  Muskegon Lake case study is part of a larger project to evaluate achievements and lessons learned from 32 years of efforts to clean up Great Lakes AOCs. Case studies will be used to help sustain support for cleaning up AOCs and to inspire and motivate others to restore other degraded aquatic ecosystems. Funding was provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation.