Michigan granted $236m for water quality improvement

The state of Michigan has been allocated US$236 million (£161 million) by the US' government to improve its sewers and municipal water infrastructure, it has been revealed.

In particular, the Great Lakes region will be focused upon, with funds being used to reduce the overflow of sewage - a particular pollutant of the area's water.

Steven Chester, director of the department of environmental quality, stated: "It allows us to give financially strapped communities essentially free funds, even better than the low-interest loans we can provide."

The grant is part of a wider $6 billion initiative by the Obama administration to improve the country's water quality and the efficiency of its wastewater projects.

California could benefit from an improvement of its waterways and wastewater treatment systems, as they are archaic and out-of-line with the needs of the state's population, according to interior secretary Ken Sulzar.