Contaminated sediments will be removed from Muskegon Lake and wildlife habitat will be restored as part of a $10 million project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The 4,149 acre inland lake, located in Muskegon County near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, is listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection agency as one of 26 Great Lakes “Areas of Concern” because it is polluted with industrial wastes.

The grant money is slated to improve aquatic habitat for fish by removing 180,000 tons of contaminated sediments and restoring 10,000 feet of shoreline now covered with foundry slag, broken concrete and sheet metal, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.

In a statement released last week Lt. Gov. John Cherry, Chairman of the Great Lakes commission, said that the grant will “create or retain 125 construction and engineering jobs.”

A recent study by the Brookings Institute found that cleaning up areas like Muskegon Lake will also increase local property values, tourism and recreational opportunities.