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Nearly half of the $3.3 million in grants from the U.S. EPA will be earmarked for projects designed to reduce the runoff of algae-feeding phosphorus from farm fields in the Lake Erie basin.

(Photo courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. EPA today rolled out more than $3.3 million in grants and projects for Ohio organizations to help finance restoration efforts to protect and restore the integrity of the Great Lakes.

Some of the projects included in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants are:

$316,830 to the Cleveland MetroParks to help control invasive hydrilla plant species in the park waters and Cuyahoga River;

$408,150 to the IPM Institute of North America Inc. for an incentive program for farmers to reduce algae-feeding phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie. At least 225 farmers are expected to participate;

$650,000 to The Nature Conservancy to help control 1,000 acres of invasive plant species on the Lake Erie coastline in Northeast Ohio;

$497,258 to the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments for the reduction of phosphorous runoff in the Portage and Toussaint river

$499,991 to the University of Toledo for an analysis of the movement of invasive fish and mollusk species and an assessment of the risks they pose;

$500,000 to the Western Reserve Land Conservancy for the purchase of 290 acres of easements in the Chagrin River watershed, resulting in a total of 1,350 acres of protected land that would otherwise be developed and subject to sediment and pollutant transport;

$500,000 to the Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development for an incentive program for farmers to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into Lake Erie.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown heralded the Great Lakes grants today.

"We've seen the impact that threats to Lake Erie have on our economy, water supply, and wildlife," Brown said. "That's why I've continued to fight for full funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - one of our most effective tools to protect the water quality of the Great Lakes."