Michigan pours millions into their rivers | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Across Michigan, river restoration is attracting hundreds of millions of dollars, driven by the idea that cleaner waterways can deliver both environmental and economic gains. A kayaking event on the Lower Rouge River in southeast Michigan drew attention to a waterway once so polluted it was famously reported to have caught fire. Friends of the Rouge organized the paddle, and watershed ecologist Sally Petrella said restoration has made the river “safe enough” to recreate on, though work remains. The state has announced $89 million for cleanup of the Detroit, Kalamazoo and other rivers, while local projects include renaturalizing parts of the Kalamazoo River over concrete, restoring downtown Grand River rapids, and building a Flint riverfront state park. The article cites studies projecting returns, including a 6-to-1 estimate in Muskegon and figures from Huron and White River assessments.