Correspondence with City of Marquette and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

The City of Marquette and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) have completed another major step in the process of revising the Great Lakes Bottomlands Use Agreement (AS-109). Once changes have been completed and signed within this agreement, BotEco will be able to begin the next phase of its vision. ​

In a series of statements in fall of 2017, the City of Marquette and the DEQ have worked together to create mutually agreeable changes to the Bottomlands Agreement which will allow for BotEco to reuse the existing Lower Harbor Ore Dock to create an accessible public space according to BotEco's 4 pillars.

According to a letter signed by Teresa Seidel, Division Director of the DEQ's Water Resources Division: 

"The Department of Environmental Quality's Water Resources Division (WRD) is pleased to work with the city of Marquette to clarify that the proposed BotEco reuse of the dock for year-round. noncommercial public recreation and education purposes can be accommodated at the site in a manner that preserves the public trust in the affected Great Lakes bottomlands and adjacent waters." ​

Friends of Ore Dock BotEco Center would like to thank everyone involved in this process. Once the changes to the Bottomlands Agreement are officially completed, we will be able to begin seeking out funding to fulfill our vision.