Trump requests $77.6M for Great Lakes maintenance projects

President Donald Trump's spending plan for 2018 includes $77.6 million for operation and maintenance of Great Lakes shipping channels and related infrastructure, including the lock system at Sault Ste. Marie.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Detroit District oversees operations in Michigan and parts of Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The budget proposes $38 million for navigation, hydropower and recreation projects at the Soo Locks. It seeks smaller sums for navigation or flood risk management at other locations, including Duluth, Minnesota; Fox River and Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Detroit, Saginaw and Holland, Michigan.

Also sought is $15 million for dredging projects around the district and $4.4 million to monitor lake levels and water flow. All the requested funding requires congressional approval.

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