On what felt like one of the first real days of spring so far this year, Michigan’s boating season got a boost when Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill Wednesday pouring $20.9 million into an emergency dredging program.

The money will allow 58 public bays and harbors, used mostly for recreational boating, to be cleared of the sands and sediment that are clogging them and leaving many boats stranded.

“This dredging is critically important in this state. We have the third highest number of registered boats in the nation,” Snyder said.

The dredging is needed to deal with the consequences of record low lake levels in the Great Lakes, especially Lakes Michigan and Huron. The original list cited 49 bays and harbors, but state officials said they are confident that they will have enough money to do all 58 sites.

The dredging will be paid for with $11.5 million in general fund dollars, with the rest coming from the Waterways Commission Trust Fund.