from “le détroit” · the strait
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced an $89 million Reclaim the Rivers program, with nearly $50 million for Detroit River PCB cleanup and $25 million for the Kalamazoo River, paid for by settlements with polluters.
Standing on Belle Isle with the Detroit River behind her, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put a number on something Detroiters have wanted for a long time: $89 million to clean up and transform the Detroit and Kalamazoo rivers.
She announced the program, called Reclaim the Rivers, on October 1.
The money splits three ways. Nearly $50 million goes to removing PCBs from the Detroit River. Another $25 million goes to restoring the Kalamazoo River watershed. More than $14 million becomes a strategic fund for river restoration projects across the state.
The work is led by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The state plans to spend the money on sediment cleanup, fish and wildlife habitat restoration, and expanding boating access.
Here's the part that makes it work: the dollars come from settlements with polluters. The Detroit River share traces to a $108 million settlement Attorney General Dana Nessel secured from Monsanto and affiliates Solutia and Pharmacia over PCB contamination, announced May 18, 2026. The Kalamazoo share is tied to a separate settlement over a 2019 sediment release.
The state expects its money to draw in hundreds of millions more from federal and private sources.
"Our state is defined by water, and it's up to us to protect it," Whitmer said.
Both the Detroit and Kalamazoo rivers are federal Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
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