LARE Grant To Fund Water Improvements
Grants have been announced for 22 Indiana Lake and River Enhancement projects in the state. Three of these projects are in Kosciusko County.
The new grants are for the care of Indiana’s water bodies. A total of $768,500 has been awarded through the LARE program, part of the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Fish and Wildlife.
The LARE program funds biological, engineering, construction and watershed land treatment projects throughout the state.
”For 25 years, the LARE program has focused on reducing sediment and nutrient inputs into water,” said Mark Reiter, director of DNR Fish and Wildlife division. “These grants continue that tradition, while at the same time enhancing aquatic habitat and recreational potential for Indiana’s lakes and rivers.”
The projects involve 14 counties and more than 25 different lakes or rivers. Local sponsors submitted the applications and commit to sharing a portion of the total cost. DNR’s share is generated by the Lake and River Enhancement fee paid annually by boat owners to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The LARE grants allow for the completion of projects that would be difficult for most local organizations to fund on their own.
The following Kosciusko County projects will receive a grant:
• Cable Run, Dewart Lake and Elkhart River (Noble and Kosciusko counties), design/build, $40,000.
• James Lake, design/build, $19,000.
• Lozier Drain and Chapman Lakes, design, $16,000.