The project to dredge the Les Cheneaux channels received a $500,000 boost Thursday, August 20. The money is being allocated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. More than $5.3 million in funds was allocated through the act for Corps of Engineers projects in Michigan.

The Les Cheneaux project is expected to total about $1.4 million. The remainder of the funding for the project will come from $24 million allocated by the Corps of Engineers for Michigan waterways projects in April.

Wayne Schloop, chief of operations for the Corps of Engineers Detroit District, views the Les Cheneaux channel dredging as a priority project.

Bob Dunn of the local Les Cheneaux Waterways Restoration Group said bids are being accepted for the dredging and that Mr. Schloop is hoping to have the contract awarded to a third-party contractor by the end of September.

A lobbying effort by the Les Cheneaux Islands Waterways Restoration Group has pushed for help from lawmakers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address sedimentation and weed growth in the channels around the Les Cheneaux Islands, claiming problems with navigation are harming the boating-dependent economy in the area. The channels have not been dredged since the early 1970s, the group reports.

Other projects announced to receive a boost from the recovery funds in northern Michigan last week include $500,000 for repairs to the Crooked River lock to maintain safe navigation at the Inland Route project, which is a series of interconnected lakes, streams, and rivers extending from Conway to Cheboygan.

Projects to receive funding downstate include two projects in Oakland County receiving a total of $450,000, and one in Monroe County receiving $500,000.

"Congress allocated these funds to address critical needs in water infrastructure, and I believe Michigan deserves more. I will continue to seek more allocations that strengthen our infrastructure and create job opportunities," Senator Carl Levin said in a statement.