In 2011, the NOAA Marine Debris Program supported a project to remove derelict and abandoned vessels and degrading construction debris from Fordson Island, a heavily urbanized and once under-appreciated area in the Rouge River. The river’s watershed is the oldest and most heavily populated and industrialized area in southeast Michigan.
The Detroit Wayne County Port Authority worked with community partners and stakeholder organizations to clean up the shoreline and remove the vessels in the nearshore area. With funding from the NOAA MDP and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, through NOAA’s Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program, volunteers removed 21 derelict boats, 40 tires, and other surface debris from the island for a combined total of 122 metric tons of debris.
An official website of the United States government. 
