CHICAGO, IL (October 2nd, 2025) — The Alliance for the Great Lakes is celebrating the announcement that Muskegon Lake has been officially delisted as an Area of Concern. Muskegon Lake was devastated by decades of industrial pollution and poor shoreline management. In 1987 it was declared a Great Lakes Area of Concern. An AOC is a geographic area with significant impairment and environmental degradation that has occurred as a result of human activities at the local level. There are 24 remaining AOCs in the Great Lakes basin.
Since then, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the U.S. Federal Government, the City of Muskegon, and the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership comprised of concerned citizens, academic researchers, local business owners, philanthropic representatives, local government, retirees, riparian property owners, recreational users, environmental advocates, and industry representatives worked in collaboration to delist Muskegon Lake. The focus of the work was on the remediation of contaminated sediments and habitat restoration surrounding the lake.
“This is a huge day for Muskegon. We are proud to have provided the scientific underpinning to inform the restoration activities that has led to the de-listing of Muskegon Lake and we celebrate with our partners and the entire community,” said Dr. Alan Steinman, former Director of Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute, and a Member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
“The Alliance applauds this milestone that demonstrates that a commitment to Great Lakes restoration projects can lead to success for local communities and the region. Bringing Muskegon Lake back from the brink also serves as an example of the good work that critical programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative can accomplish. Every dollar spent by the GLRI brings at least three dollars back in economic activity; in the case of Muskegon Lake, the return on investment is even greater and was shown to be six to one,” said Alliance for the Great Lakes President and CEO Joel Brammeier.
###
Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes dcarr@greatlakes.org