St. Louis County Gives Preliminary Approval for $692,850 to Nine AIS Projects

The St. Louis County Board gave preliminary approval to distribute $692,850 in state AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) Prevention Aid to nine local projects focused on preventing introduction and limiting spread of AIS in county lakes and rivers. The board’s action, announced in a county news release dated February 10, 2026, allocates a fixed sum to local efforts but does not list recipients or per-project awards.

County officials have not yet released the names, locations, or dollar breakdowns for the nine projects, leaving residents and lake associations with questions about which lakes, rivers and organizations will receive funds and when work might begin. The release uses the phrase “preliminary approval,” indicating that additional procedural steps may be required before contracts or purchase orders are issued and projects start on the ground.

While St. Louis County’s announcement focuses exclusively on aquatic invasive species prevention, similar water-related funding rounds are under way elsewhere. The Department of Environmental Conservation and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced awards in New York that were described as “Nine water projects in Ontario, Wayne counties receive state grant funding.” That announcement said the awards would “help projects that protect drinking water, improve climate resilience, update aging water infrastructure, reduce contributors to harmful algal blooms, and secure statewide access to clean water.” Those New York awards were identified in the announcement as coming from an NPG fund, and several small planning grants of $50,000 were listed for Ontario County projects.

Examples from the New York announcements include three Ontario County entries: “Ontario County will receive $50,000 from the NPG fund for a project to explore potential floodplain restoration on a Seneca Lake tributary. The project will sponsor stream-channel reshaping, culvert resizing, floodplain reconnection, and storage expansion.” “The town of Gorham will receive $50,000 from NPG for a culvert assessment project on four failing and inadequately sized culverts. The assessment report will recommend cost effective solutions to improve the culverts, resulting in reduced stream bank erosion and flooding impacts.” “The town of West Bloomfield will receive $50,000 through NPG to perform a condition assessment of five undersized and failing culverts that contribute to eroding embankments, damage infrastructure, and reduced aquatic connectivity. The report will recommend effective solutions to improve stream flow, increase movement of aquatic life, and reduce erosion.”

St. Louis County residents should note the distinction: the county funds are labeled state AIS Prevention Aid and are intended specifically to prevent and limit invasive species in county waters, while the New York awards described above come from a differently named program supporting broader water infrastructure and resilience projects. For county boaters, anglers, property owners and lake groups, the immediate practical questions are which local lakes and rivers will benefit, whether funding will support boat-inspection or decontamination stations, and when public meeting opportunities to review project scopes will be scheduled.

Next steps for readers: watch for a detailed county release or meeting materials listing the nine projects and per-project amounts, and look for public notices from the St. Louis County Board or county environmental staff about timelines and community input. The preliminary approval is a first step; final allocations and project schedules will determine when residents see actions on boat ramps, shoreline work, culvert fixes or other measures intended to keep invasive species and harmful blooms out of local waters.