Projects to control invasive species in the Great Lakes, as well as loss of habitat, pollution, and toxic sediments, will be funded now that President Barack Obama has signed legislation aimed at restoring the lakes Friday, October 30. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will provide $475 million for a comprehensive program to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was proposed by the President to address the most serious issues that face the Great Lakes: loss of habitat, invasive species, toxic sediments, and nonpoint source pollution (which comes from diffuse sources such as rainfall and runoff into the lakes). Controlling these factors was named a top priority in restoration efforts, as they threaten the world’s largest fresh water resource.

Improvements will be guided by the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, a blueprint developed by more than 1,500 people representing governmental, industry, and nonprofit groups to set priorities and identify needs, which will receive funding for its most pressing programs. The iniative caps five years of work from the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Project ideas will be submitted and the Environmental Protection Agency will coordinate efforts with states, tribes, nonprofit groups, universities, and local groups, who will get work underway. To move restoration efforts forward quickly, the government will not require states and local government to match grants for the work. Projects to address the lakes’ 185 invasive species, toxic sediment, habitat loss, or nonpoint source pollution will receive top priority for funding.