GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A co-founder of the “Grand Rapids Whitewater” group that hopes to restore the rapids to the Grand River says an announcement scheduled for this afternoon will smooth the political waters for their project.

“It gives us the legitimacy we’ve always needed to move this project along,” said Chip Richards. “This will open doors and help make introductions and it gives us the ability to pursue the science unencumbered.”

At 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 10, a star-studded cast of federal officials is expected to announce that the Grand River is one of 11 locations to be added to the Urban Waters Federal Partnership “to restore waterways, help local economies, create jobs and protect Americans’ health.”

The entourage at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will include Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Bob Perciasepe, acting administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and officials from the U.S. departments of Interior and Agriculture .

Richards said he does not expect the announcement to yield any federal funding commitments for their project, estimated to cost $27.5 million to remove five downtown dams, restore the original riverbed and install a new barrier to keep sea lamprey from spawning upstream.

“We’re not looking at this as a financial boon, we’re looking at this for the cooperation,” Richards said. “This will streamline the process and make it more efficient.”

Richards said their team still must prove they can restore the river without causing harm before they get any permits to modify the riverbed or remove dams.

“We have to satisfy the science in the permitting process,” Richards said. “It’s like we’re in a marathon and we’re at the halfway point and feeling strong.”

E-mail Jim Harger: jharger@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHHarger