The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced $6.2 million in grants for clean water protection and restoration around the state this week. The funded projects include many that will benefit the St. Croix River and its tributaries.

“The projects selected for award leverage a substantial amount of local funding and promise to make an important contribution to our natural resource legacy,” said Alison Mikulyuk, DNR Lakes and Rivers Team Leader. “One of the strengths of this program is that it supports local groups all along their journey to protect and restore the aquatic systems they know and love. Local groups really come together to do incredible, positive things for our waters.”

Many of the grants will help lake associations and similar groups manage and prevent invasive species. Others will help develop management plans and take action to improve water quality.

Here is the best I could do identifying projects in the region. It may miss a few, and include a few that are outside the watershed. The St. Croix watershed represents nearly $3.6 million in grants, about half the statewide total.

The deadline for next year’s grant is in September. The DNR encourages groups that could benefit from the grants to determine eligibility and begin developing ideas in advance of the September deadline. For more information visit the Surface Water Grants Program webpage.