COLUMBUS, OH - Recreational boaters will notice improved waterway navigation along four Lake Erie sites thanks to more than $480,000 in grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The funds will be used for dredging activities in Ashtabula, Lake, Lorain and Ottawa counties.
The largest grant award is $198,000 for the City of Mentor in Lake County for dredging within the waters of the Mentor Lagoons Marina. A $180,000 grant was awarded to the Conneaut Port Authority in Ashtabula County for maintenance dredging of recreational boating channels located in Conneaut Harbor. A $62,250 grant was awarded to Carroll Township in Ottawa County for traditional dredging at the entrance of the Toussaint River as it joins with Lake Erie. And a grant of more than $40,000 was awarded to the Lorain Port Authority in Lorain County for dredging in the east basin of Lorain Harbor.
The ODNR Division of Watercraft administers the Recreation Harbor Evaluation Program grants. The grants program is funded through the Ohio Waterways Safety Fund, which consists of watercraft registration and titling fees and a percentage of the state gasoline sales tax.
Additional information on recreational boating in Ohio and ODNR grant programs is available at ohiodnr.com