EPA offers tours of its largest lake research vessel in Detroit Thursday

Detroit Free Press

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's largest research vessel, the 180-foot Lake Guardian, will dock at Hart Plaza Thursday and be open for free public tours.

The Lake Guardian is the largest research vessel operating on the Great Lakes. It is operated by EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office and is used to monitor the water quality and health of all five Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. The boat features three laboratories, and is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the world’s largest system of fresh surface water.

Approximately hourlong boat tours will be conducted Thursday on the riverfront behind Hart Plaza at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Space is limited, and advance sign-up is not available. Closed-toe shoes are required.

For more information, visit EPA's Lake Guardian website, https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-monitoring/lake-guardian.

At 180 feet in length, the U.S. EPA's Lake Guardian is the largest research vessel the agency operates, and the largest studying the Great Lakes.

Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.

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