A Grand Valley State University water scientist has been selected to help advise the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to restore the Great Lakes.
The announcement came Wednesday morning, at the Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University, where United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler named Dr. Alan Steinman to the recently re-established Great Lakes Advisory Board, an EPA federal advisory committee that provides advice and recommendations on matters related to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada.
Dr. Steinman, one of the leading authorities of water quality matters in West Michigan, warned officials Wednesday that the information he will provide may not always be what the EPA wants to hear.
“One is that I hope to use my experience that restoration efforts in the Great Lakes—number one-- is based on sound science,” Steinman said. “Because the least expensive restoration project, is one that you never have to do in the first place.”
The Great Lakes faces a number of concerns including record water levels, beach erosion and invasive species like Asian Carp that threaten the fresh water’s ecosystem.
Joining Dr. Steinman Wednesday for the announcement were United States Representatives Fred Upton and Bill Huizenga of Michigan. Huizenga says he is leading the bipartisan effort to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and make the preservation and protection of the Great Lakes a national priority.
