In Your State
The Coalition works with conservation leaders in states around the Great Lakes region to advance our goal to secure federal funding to restore and protect the lakes. Our partners in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York are the backbone of our restoration advocacy. Our state leaders visit members of Congress both in Washington, D.C., and in district offices to talk about the importance of the Great Lakes to our drinking water, jobs, health, and way of life.
Below you will find the water infrastructure needs in each state, as well as the Coalition’s state leads (if applicable) and a link to read need-based stories and restoration success stories for each state.
Data from the EPA’s “2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey Report to Congress” and the agency’s 2023 “Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment: 7th Report to Congress.”
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative data from glri.us website with inclusion of all projects through March 31, 2024. Number of projects and amounts include both state-based and cross-state collaborations.
Illinois
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $11.375 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $22.211 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $33.586 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 800
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $505,518,380
Coalition State Lead in Illinois:
Alliance for the Great Lakes - Megan Cunningham
Indiana
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $10.132 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $11.784 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $21.916 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 730
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $475,956,609
Coalition State Lead in Indiana:
Save the Dunes - Harshini Ratnayaka
Michigan
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $15.072 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $16.258 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $31.33 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 2,823
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $1,347,354,835
Coalition State Leads in Michigan:
Sierra Club – Elayne Coleman
Michigan League of Conservation Voters – Bentley Johnson
Minnesota
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $6.716 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $10.178 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $16.894 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 883
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $554,437,681.00
Coalition State Lead in Minnesota:
Minnesota Environmental Partnership – Cristin Curwick
New York
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $53.917 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $35.148 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $89.065 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 1,371
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $576,046,872.00
Coalition State Leads in Michigan:
Citizens Campaign for the Environment – Brian Smith
National Audubon Society – Erin McGrath
Ohio
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $20.555 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $16.072 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $36.627 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 1,230
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $697,342,644.00
Coalition State Leads in Ohio:
Ohio Environmental Council – Emily Arthur
Junction Coalition – Donald Wiggins
Pennsylvania
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $12.765 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $24.301 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $37.066 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 537
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $235,725,587.00
Coalition State Leads in Pennsylvania:
PennFuture - Ollie Cugini
Wisconsin
Wastewater Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $12.013 billion
Drinking Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $11.756 billion
Total Water Infrastructure Need over 20 Years: $23.769 billion
Number of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects: 1,898
Funding Received from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $962,859,366.00
Coalition State Leads in Wisconsin:
Milwaukee Water Commons – Joe Fitzgerald
Clean Wisconsin – Erik Kanter