Italy OKs $1 Billion for Venice Lagoon Cleanup

The Italian government Monday set aside $1.1 billion to clean up the Venice lagoon.

The money will be spent over the next two years on various projects aimed at restoring the lagoon’s fragile ecology, on which the long-term survival of the 1,000-year-old canal city depends.

Thousands of tons of untreated chemicals and detergents seep into the lagoon each year from farmlands and factories, providing a rich breeding ground for algae, which kills off the fish.