The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has confirmed the blue-green algae in a water sample collected on July 25. People are reminded to avoid water whenever a blue-green algae bloom is present and to wait two weeks after it has dissipated. Read the full story by the Chronical Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-superior-algae
Three years ago, Viking, the luxury cruise line, struck a deal with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch passenger cruises on the Great Lakes with a scientific bent, allowing passengers to assist with laboratory experiments. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-science-cruises
Some environmental advocates are unhappy with some of Ohio’s new Lake Erie plans, as it is not a regulatory document. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-erie-guidelines
The director of the Central Michigan University Institute for Great Lakes Research joined two submersible owners under Lake Michigan at Beaver Island this week to assist the station’s water quality and fisheries research. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-private-submersibles
Several wetland restoration and enhancement projects have been announced for Lake Huron and Lake Erie, as part of a multi-million dollar investment from the Ontario government. Read the full story by CKXS – Wallaceburg, Ontario.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-wetland-restoration
A no-contact order remains in place for a section of the St. Joseph River in Southwest Michigan a week after sewage spilled into the river. A lag between the time of the spill and the warning means some people went into the Lake Michigan tributary without realizing they could be in danger. Read the full story by the MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-kayakers-sewage
In Michigan, a project to shore up South Haven’s South Beach and protect it from erosion that occurred in 2019 due to record-high water levels on Lake Michigan is nearing completion. This past week, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began the finishing work on the project that will add approximately 57,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the Black River Channel to expand the sand on the beach that was washed away during the high-water levels. Read the full story by the South Haven Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-south-beach
Michigan residents are being warned to be prepared for another season of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is advising people on what to do if they encounter the algae. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-algae-michigan
A new state of the art wastewater treatment plant is up and running in the City of Cheboygan, Michigan. The new facility will enhance public health safeguards, better protect Lake Huron, and reduce costs through state assisted funding. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-cheboygan-wastewater
Potash shipments at the port of Thunder Bay, ON have made a strong comeback in June reaching 31 per cent higher than June 2022. Chris Heikkinen, director of business development with the port, says the reason for the uptick is “it’s timing more than anything.” Read the full story by the Chronicle Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-potash
In New York, Chautauqua Institution provided an opportunity last month for the public to learn more about the array of research and management efforts taking place on and around Chautauqua Lake. Read the full story by the Post-Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-institution-event
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and partners are seeking input on their latest plan to guide restoration and protection of the Great Lakes under an updated action plan for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from 2025 to 2029. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-epa-input
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced Wednesday the discovery of a tug boat that sank into the waters of Lake Superior 144 years ago. The historical society said the Satellite sank on June 21, 1879, either as a result of a mechanical problem or because the boat struck a floating log. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-shipwreck
The Chicago Park District released three endangered piping plover chicks Wednesday at Montrose Beach along Lake Michigan, hoping to help the species which is nearly extinct in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by WMAQ-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-piping-plovers
Several types of technology are deployed along beaches in the Great Lakes region to remove trash and other marine debris, both large and small. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-marine-debris
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District will begin planned maintenance work in the navigation channel in Charlevoix, Michigan to replace deteriorating timber fenders along the channel revetments. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-channel-repair
Several beaches along Lake Erie’s Presque Isle are restricted for swimming due to E. coli. Officials are searching for the reason. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-presque-isle
On July 13, 1938, five people were killed after a type of tsunami hit Holland, Michigan. Eighty-five years later, researchers say meteotsunamis in the Great Lakes occur more than some may think. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-tsunamis
On rare occasions of heavy rainfall, the Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District officials will reverse the flow of river water into Lake Michigan to reduce river flooding. Read the full story by WBBM-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-chicago-river
As the summer continues to heat up, Lake Superior researchers are urging the public to look out for and report algae blooms. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Superior, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-superior-algae
A Holland man will attempt to swim across Lake Michigan this summer to raise money for the Holland Aquatic Center. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-holland-man
Researchers are predicting a smaller-than-average harmful algal bloom for western Lake Erie this year, thanks largely to a dry spring. Read the full story by the Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-bloom-perdiction
Michigan and Illinois plan to spend a combined $114 million to stop the advancement of invasive carp into Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-invasive-carp
The intense drought that hit the region for May and much of June helped keep Lake Superior from rising its usual amount in June. The International Lake Superior Board of Control said the big lake’s water level remained unchanged in June, a month it usually goes up by nearly 3 inches. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-superior-drought
As the effects of climate change become harder to ignore, there’s not a place on the planet that won’t feel an impact. However, Michigan will see comparatively fewer issues related to high temperatures, water access, and economic instability. Read the full story by CBS News Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-climate-haven
With threats of spying impacting some naval operations, the Defense Department is thinking about safer locations for some of its most sensitive testing and scientific programs. One idea is to place them away from ocean coasts in the less-vulnerable American Midwest along the Great Lakes. Read the full story by gCaptain.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-naval
Visitors and their pets are advised to avoid the waters of Michigan’s inland Swan Lake after health officials received positive test results for suspected algae blooms, according to Allegan County Health Department. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-allegan-algae
Three municipalities in Illinois, Oswego, Montgomery and Yorkville, are funding an engineering design project for the pipeline that will bring Lake Michigan water to the three communities. Read the full story by the Shaw Local.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-lake-pipeline
Initially rejecting NRG’s plan to close two coal ash ponds at its Waukegan electrical generating plant adjacent to Lake Michigan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awaiting public comment and further study before making a final decision. Read the full story by the Lake County News-Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-coal-ash
This year when volunteer cleaners arrived at the White Shoal lighthouse in northern Lake Michigan, they were met with a bumper crop of dead flies known as midges, which had piled up so thick on the lighthouse’s deck that they had to be shoveled off. Read the full story by MLive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-lighthouse-midges
Technology has changed the navigation tools for foggy weather on Milwaukee’s lakeshore over the decades. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230630-foghorn
Though forecasts are projecting a mild bloom, scientists are learning more about how the toxin found in western Lake Erie algal blooms has the ability to become airborne and travel long distances, potentially miles. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-algal-forecast
Potentially record numbers of lake herring born last spring seem to have survived their first year of life, according to state and federal biologists. The boom will help sustain both the ecosystem and Minnesota’s commercial fishing industry for years to come. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-herring
Newly proposed federal regulations would affect coal ash ponds situated around the Great Lakes shoreline, many in communities of color. Read the full story by Grist Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-coal-ash
Researchers from SUNY Oswego and SUNY Cortland in New York will work with the U.S. Geological Survey and other entities on a conservation and restoration project focused on native fish species in the Great Lakes, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Read the full story by The Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-suny-students
In New York, a high school teacher is about to embark on a Great Lakes journey as she was selected nationally among 15 other teachers from Great Lakes states to participate in the Federal EPA’s research vessel on Lake Ontario for a workshop on board the Lake Guardian ship. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-biology-teacher
Steel production ticked up by 4,000 tons in the Great Lakes region last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Read the full story by the Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-steel-production
For the past few months the city has been entertaining the idea making Buffalo, New York, a port city for Great Lakes cruises and has commissioned a study to determine whether that option is viable. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-buffalo-cruises
The Ohio Division of Wildlife’s brand-new fish cleaning stations in Marblehead, Huron and Avon Lake are up and running, and so is one constructed by the Cleveland Metroparks at Cleveland Lakefront State Park in Cleveland Harbor. Read the full story by the Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-fish-cleaning
Although there is no schedule for the traffic through the Soo Locks, which connects Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes, there are several ways to find out which freighters will pass through the Poe and MacArthur locks, traversing between lakes Superior and Huron. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-soo-locks
For the past two years, a multi-institutional collaborative research team has worked on developing new technology to collect data and make discoveries in the ocean and the Great Lakes. The researchers will present that work as part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Lecture Series. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-sonar-data
With the environment warming because of climate change, researchers are noticing some drastic fluctuations. This year, Lake Erie had little to no ice coverage which has effects on other lake processes like water levels, fish hatches, and algal blooms. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-erie-ice
NOAA has been working to update the Environmental Response Management Application digital data map for Lake Erie. It’s a tool that helps emergency responders and environmental resource managers in dealing with incidents that may adversely impact the environment. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-erie-map
The Army Corps of Engineers is now on the cusp of construction on modification of the Brandon Road Lock in Illinois. The project is now projected to cost $1.1 billion, but the main sticking point is that it requires Illinois to sign an agreement as the non-federal sponsor that the state has so far refused to sign Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-carp-agreement
In Michigan, some residents of Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood say they’re outraged with a decision to award a permit to Grosse Pointe Park that could allow the Detroit suburb to dump sewage into the Detroit River. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-sewage-permit
Shipwreck tours have returned for the season to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan, where visitors can take a scenic cruise within 4,300 miles of federally protected waters for a unique peek into Great Lakes maritime history. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-shipwreck-tours
Great Lakes invaders such as zebra mussels and sea lampreys were a few of the species that briefly took center stage recently when the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources spoke at the annual Edith Chase Symposium. Read the full story by The Record Courier.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-invasive-symposium
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct an assessment of the Traverse River in Houghton and Keweenaw counties in Michigan from June 6 to the 14. The purpose is to estimate the abundance of sea lampreys. The information gathered will be used to determine the need for sea lamprey control. Read the full story by the Daily Mining Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-sea-lamprey
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources design fishing regulations to protect fish and allow people to enjoy fishing. They urge the public to review the guide to reduce practices which can lead to overharvesting. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-fishing-guidelines
Bordering Lake Michigan in Muskegon County, Michigan, a large hill of lime is leftover from Dupont which made neoprene rubber, acetylene, and Freon. Chemours, a DuPont spin-off which owns the site, is negotiating a consent order this year with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy that advocates hope will speed the pace of cleanup around the 1,300-acre property. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230605-dupont-cleanup
