Unalaska, AK – The water in Iliuliuk Lake will soon be getting cleaner. The city just accepted a $45,000 grant to install three more storm water collection sediment separators.

"They're large concrete vaults that the runoff water will go into," explained Public Works Director Nancy Peterson. "It provides time for the sediment to fall out of the water. So the water will go into the vault and then the water that comes out of the vault will be minus a good majority of the sediment that was in that water.

She said they aren't filters, they just give the sediment from gravel roads and other areas time to settle out before the water enters the lake. This will keep the lake cleaner and help the salmon that spawn there.

"If you look at Iliuliuk Lake after a big rain or a large event, you'll see a lot of brown, murky water in the lake, and it's not the best habitat for fish. So anything we can do to help clean up the water going into the lake and into the tributaries that are going into the lake will just, hopefully, provide a better atmosphere for the local fish stocks in town."

The grant from Alaska Clean Water Actions provides $45,000 this year to purchase the separators and $30,000 next year to install them. The city will match this total amount, partially with in-kind contributions of salary that is already budgeted for.