The failure of a dam in northern Michigan led to a solution that restored fish passage in an important Lake Huron tributary and for a time, saved a popular community festival in the process.

Restoring the Lacustrine Refuge, a four-acre wetland adjacent to a Lake Erie tributary in Cleveland, created wildlife habitat, reduced polluted runoff and is expected to generate recreational opportunities valued at $2.4 million — nearly twice the project cost.

Uncovering a creek at Indiana Dunes State Park and restoring the stream’s natural flow created new fish habitat and reduced the volume of polluted runoff entering Lake Michigan.

Replacing two dysfunctional culverts with a bridge over the Black River reconnected 18 miles of free-flowing trout stream to Lake Huron in northern Michigan and created miles of prime spawning habitat for lake-run coaster brook trout, steelhead and salmon.

After a decade of cleanup work, Presque Isle Bay on Lake Erie became just the second site in the U.S. to be removed from a list of Great Lakes toxic hotspots.