James Polidori (Page 17)

On Feb. 15, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) sent the U.S. Air Force a request for installation of several new interim cleanup systems to remove toxic PFAS chemicals from the groundwater and soil. Advocates and state officials are now pushing the U.S. military to build more stopgap systems to clean up groundwater contamination around the former Wurtsmith Air Force base while a slow-moving investigation continues. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-pfas-cleanup

James Polidori

In his new book, “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World out of Balance,” Dan Egan sounds alarms on both the scarcity and overabundance sides of the phosphorus-human equation. Thanks to heavy use of phosphorus in fertilizers, many experts foresee it becoming a scarce resource. But too much phosphorus in the wrong places — in the runoff to lakes, ponds and rivers — leads to toxic algae blooms that ravage bodies of water, kill tourism and make people sick. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-phosphorus-book

James Polidori

Using trail cameras, FOX 2 photojournalist Coulter Stuart spotted a beaver at an inlet on Stony Island in the Detroit River. Once the home base for a massive project that transformed the Detroit River and Great Lakes shipping traffic, the 100-acre plot of land is slowly being reclaimed by wildlife; the reemergence of beavers is a sign of that progress. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-beaver-habitat-restoration

James Polidori

In its new report, the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Ohio Environmental Council, with technical assistance from the Ann Arbor-based company LimnoTech and Chicago-based Delta Institute, found that Michigan and Ohio are not likely to meet the 2025 phosphorus reduction goals agreed to under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-report-phosphorus-reduction

James Polidori

A much milder-than-average weather pattern across the Great Lakes for most of this winter has produced the lowest ice cover on record for the Great Lakes. As of Monday, February 13, ice covered only 8 percent of the Great Lakes. That’s far below the average of 41 percent for this date and at record low levels previously set in 2012. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-record-ice-cover

James Polidori

Newly elected U.S. Sen. JD Vance will co-chair the U.S. Senate’s Great Lakes Task Force, replacing his predecessor Rob Portman at the helm of a group that pushes to protect the world’s largest freshwater lake system. Vance said his priorities in the job will include fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, fighting invasive species like invasive carp, and ensuring the Lakes’ aging lock systems and infrastructure stay in good repair to allow the passage of cargo ships. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-task-force-chair

James Polidori

This month, the National Park Service said it expects to complete its review of the Menominee Nation’s application to list an ancient indigenous burial ground called Anaem Omot on the National Register. If approved, it will mark a victory for the Menominee Nation in a long-running battle to stop Gold Resources Corp. from building a gold mine within part of the proposed site boundary. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-register-historic-land

James Polidori

Lead levels in Benton Harbor, Michigan’s drinking water continue to decrease as 90 percent of the test results came in at or below 9 parts-per-billion (ppb). Sixty-five residential taps around the city between July 1 and Dec. 31 last year, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, marking a decrease from 14-ppb in calculated test results from the first six months of 2022. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-lead-reduction

James Polidori

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has received $1.5 million from the states of Illinois and Michigan to advance the Brandon Road Interbasin Project on the upper Illinois Waterway. This complex ecosystem restoration project includes innovative technological deterrents designed to prevent upstream movement of invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes. Read the full story by KWQC-TV – Davenport, IA.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-brandon-road-funding

James Polidori

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell has sent a letter to Michigan’s top environment official Monday, urging him to reject the PFAS remediation plan proposed by Wolverine World Wide after a violation was issued by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy for failing to meet a previously approved timeline. Read the full story by The Detroit News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-letter-pfas-cleanup

James Polidori

National Grid is providing $100,000 to support the Aquarium of Niagara’s innovative “Great Lakes 360” project, which will add 15 new Great Lakes-focused exhibits and expand the cultural attraction’s City of Niagara Falls campus. Read the full story by Niagara Frontier Publications.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-aquarium-great-lakes

James Polidori

Thanks to a mixture of erosion and wind, winter runoff has created more than ten ice formations in the Chequamegon ice caves along the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Superior. Tour guides will lead thousands of people across the snow and ice to see the natural phenomena through the caves that have just opened for a month-long season. Read the full story by WJFW-TV – Rhinelander, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230215-tour-ice-caves

James Polidori

While the Great Lakes Compact bans diverting water from the lakes, years-long droughts in Western states have brought renewed attention to the possibility of pumping water in from the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.  Read the full story by Michigan Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-diversion-challenges

James Polidori

After receiving a Congressional authorization to build a second heavy icebreaker, the U.S. Coast Guard said the $350 million ship might take a decade or more to build. Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers Association, believes they could finish building the ship in as little as four years. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-icebreaker-timeline

James Polidori

A report released this week by a binational group warns the task of sediment remediation from the Detroit River is massive, but a huge pot of U.S. federal funds is available to address that legacy of pollution. However, the scientists warn, it’s a case of use-it-or-lose-it with a deadline just a few short years away. Read the full story by The Windsor Star.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-river-remediation

James Polidori

Lake Erie’s water level rose to record highs in 2019 and 2020, damaging property and interfering with recreation before beginning a decline that continued into 2022. In 2023, the lake’s level isn’t projected to break any more monthly records but is expected to remain higher than average for the first six months. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-erie-water-levels

James Polidori

Saying the steps the Biden administration took to bar mining in the Superior National Forest are not permanent, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) on Tuesday reintroduced a bill that would offer permanent protections. While U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has the authority to impose the mining moratorium in the Superior National Forest for a maximum of 20 years, subject to renewal, only Congress can legislate a permanent withdrawal. Read the full story by SC Times.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-boundary-waters-protection

James Polidori

On Monday, less than a half percent of Lake Erie was covered with ice compared to 87.3% on the same date last year, according to data kept by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The average date for maximum ice coverage on Lake Erie is Feb. 10, while maximum ice coverage has been declining on average by about 5% per decade. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-erie-ice

James Polidori

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently added its largest public fishing easement acquisition to date in North East Township. The access includes three parcels of land that were formerly leased to a private fishing club and had been closed to the public for more than 10 years. Read the full story by The Corry Journal.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-fishing-access

James Polidori

Erie County Executive Brenton Davis announced Wednesday that Erie County has received approval from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Buffalo to welcome cruise ships into its port. City officials said in October 2022 there is a possibility cruise ships could be coming to Erie’s Bayfront as early as this year. Read the full story by WHTM-TV – Harrisburg, PA.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-erie-cruise

James Polidori

The Lake Huron Coastal Centre (LHCC) announced that the Ontario government is investing $44,000 in plastic pollution reduction projects on Lake Huron. Through the Great Lakes Local Action Fund, communities will protect and improve the health of the Great Lakes and their connecting waters. Read the full story by Goderich Signal Star.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-plastic-reduction

James Polidori

In St. Joseph, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan, residents have spotted hundreds of slabs of sand covered in snow and ice. Although they look more like rocks after decades of erosion on the bottom of the lakebed, the solid chunks are the end result of freezing temperatures, powerful wind gusts, and miles of coastline getting battered by mother nature forces. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230203-sand-formations

James Polidori

A warmer than usual winter is having an adverse effect on the Great Lakes. Without colder temperatures, the region can expect more lake effect snow, a result of cold air passing over the unfrozen and relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes. Because the water is warmer, fish migration and the quantity of fish in our water could change and low water levels could also force ships to carry a lighter load to avoid being grounded. Read the full story by CTV News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-winter-impacts

James Polidori

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) recently released a report on their work across the Great Lakes in New York, and their watersheds. The most recent report highlights work done on the Genesee River to help reduce phosphorus pollution caused by runoff and other sources, among other projects. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-newyork-accomplishments

James Polidori

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will study whether to toughen regulation of large livestock farms that release manure and other pollutants into waterways. Runoff of waste and fertilizers from the operations — and from croplands where manure is spread — fouls streams, rivers and lakes. It’s a leading cause of algae blooms that create hazards in many waterways and dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Associated Press.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-livestock-regulations

James Polidori

After a Christmas thaw, 20 million gallons of untreated sewage was dumped into the Black and St. Lawrence Rivers. The practice may be legal, but it’s not popular.  Read the full story by WWNY- TV – Carthage, NY.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-sewage-regulation

James Polidori

Local and federal officials are cautiously optimistic construction will be underway this spring for a water pipeline to serve the Oneida Nation of the Thames in southwestern Ontario. The pipeline, still in the design phase, is expected to be 18 kilometers long and connect the First Nation community with clean drinking water through the Lake Huron Water Supply System. Read the full story by Global News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-water-pipeline-construction

James Polidori

Lake Huron typically sees a long-term, historical average of 28% ice coverage in mid-January; so far this winter, the coverage has been around 8%. Lake Huron’s ice coverage is usually at its highest in late February or early March. Read the full story by The Times Herald.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-lake-ice-cover

James Polidori

The State of Michigan has recently updated its fish consumption guidelines to account for PFAS chemicals in smelt and carp. Under the new guidelines, the state recommends eating only 6 servings of smelt a year from Lake Huron and just 1 serving a month from Lake Michigan due to PFOS levels. Read the full story by WKAR-TV – East Lansing, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-pfas-guidelines

James Polidori

Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior could see some changes in the years ahead under a new plan from the National Park Service. The plans include renovating historic structures like lighthouses and cabins, and offering more access and guidance to visitors. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230125-park-plan

James Polidori

Black carp, an invasive species that was first imported to control snails in fish farms where fish are bred, have made their way into Illinois waterways. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources believes black carp have moved up the Illinois River as far as central Illinois. If the invasive carp enter the Great Lakes, they have the ability to dominate the food chain and cause major disruptions to the ecosystem. Read the full story by WBGZ – Alton, IL.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-invasive-carp

James Polidori

Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN), an engineering firm accused of having some responsibility for Flint’s lead-contaminated water in 2014-2015, has settled a lawsuit with four families, months after a jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in August. Details of the agreement between the families and LAN were not publicly disclosed in federal court in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Read the full story by AP News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-flint-settlement

James Polidori

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is urging its customers to take advantage of programs that will lower their sewer bills while calling on the federal government to do more to help low-income water customers. The sewer district is offering affordability programs at the same time it is having to pay for massive improvements, including the $3 billion Project Clean Lake that is designed to reduce combined-sewer overflows into Lake Erie and its tributaries. Read the full story by Cleveland.com

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-discounted-water

James Polidori

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is requiring the village of Montgomery to submit a water improvement plan for approval of its permit application to divert Lake Michigan water to its residents. The plan requires the village to lower its non-revenue water loss from 28.2 percent to under 10 percent. Read the full story by WSPY – Plano, IL.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-water-permit

James Polidori

For the past 37 years, an agreement between the State of Michigan, the federal government, and five sovereign tribal nations has guided commercial fishing regulations in parts of the Great Lakes. The last decree was set to expire in 2020 but was extended as negotiations carried on. Four of the five tribes involved are supporting the new decree, but the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and other sport fishing and conservation groups take issue with changes in the new agreement. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-fishing-rights

James Polidori

The City of Waukesha, Wisconsin could start breaking ground on a short, but critical stretch of water pipeline in just a matter of weeks, thanks to a Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors decision Thursday afternoon. The 35-mile pipeline will convey Lake Michigan water from Milwaukee to Waukesha and then return it —after it’s used and treated— to Lake Michigan via the Root River. Read and listen to the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-water-pipeline

James Polidori

The U.S. Coast Guard’s largest domestic icebreaking operation is underway in Lake Superior. The Coast Guard sector based in Sault Ste Marie has started its winter icebreaking efforts – known as Operation Taconite – because of an increasing amount of ice in the commercial ports located on the west side of Lake Superior. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-ice-breaking

James Polidori

The walleye hatches in the western and central basins of Lake Erie were above average this year, as was the hatch for yellow perch in the western basin. The story was different for yellow perch in the central basin where hatches there “continue to be well below average,” according to a news release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by Cleveland.com

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-fish-hatches

James Polidori

Muskegon County closed on the former Nugent Sand property on December 13, finalizing the acquisition of more than 160 acres that includes 1,460 feet of Lake Michigan frontage property for its Dune Harbor Park. The park will be opened for public use no later than March 13, 2023, said Muskegon County Community Development Director Robert Lukens. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-public-park

James Polidori

Paul Radomski’s new book Walleye: A Beautiful Fish of the Dark details the biology, management and importance of this iconic fish. Radomski, a fisheries biologist by trade, said he hopes readers will take away a greater appreciation for walleye as they learn more about it. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221219-walleye-book

James Polidori

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Bayfield, Wisconsin, has made significant changes to improve accessibility to the shoreline in recent years. Through its “Access for All” campaign, the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore group wants to continue these efforts by adding a 520-foot-long accessible ramp at Meyers Beach so people can better access the kayak launching area. Read and listen to the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-accesible-shorefront

James Polidori

A lake effect snowstorm hit parts of Jefferson and Lewis counties, New York, causing waves of 15 to 20 feet and winds over 50 miles per hour. The high winds caused some commercial vessels to anchor on Wednesday on both ends of the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River portion of the Great Lakes Seaway and storm damage to the town of Cape Vincent. Read the full story by WWTI-TV – Watertown, NY.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-storm-damage

James Polidori

Enamored with the wild from childhood, Canadian photographer Trevor Pottelberg learned to brave the extreme storm season of Lake Erie to get hold of awe-inspiring images of water in motion, several of which can be viewed in this article. Read the full story by The Epoch Times.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-wave-photographs

James Polidori

The Northeast Wisconsin shipwreck of the Sidney O. Neff was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 7 following its listing on the State Register of Historic Places in September. The Wisconsin Historical Society says the wreck allows historians and archaeologists to study the construction of early converted wooden steambarges in the Great Lakes lumber trade. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-historic-shipwreck

James Polidori

In St. Joseph, Michigan, the US Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract to King Company of Holland, Michigan to dredge the St Joseph Harbor of debris in the water that has severely limited traffic over the last five weeks. Due to bad weather causing rough waves and high winds, it could take even longer for the harbor to be fully operational again. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-dredging-delay

James Polidori

An analysis released by a coalition of activists and conservation groups in Michigan finds that high water rates force many families to live in unsafe conditions, putting elders and children at risk. The report proposes that state officials adopt a water-affordability strategy that supports low-income Michiganders and does not harm residents who can afford their utilities. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-water-affordability

James Polidori

Energy storage is a priority for several Great Lakes states including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. By using iron, salt, and water, the Great Lakes region can create a green energy future with the technology of iron-flow batteries. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-energy-storage

James Polidori

In 1972, the same year the Clean Water Act was passed, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point created the Water and Environmental Analysis Lab (WEAL). Over its 50 years, communities, student employees and hundreds of thousands of residents have benefited from its water testing programs, educational outreach and five decades of data collected from groundwater sources across the state and the nation. Read the full story by Point/Plover Metro Wire.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-water-lab-anniversary

James Polidori

After more than 100 years of industrial use and environmental contamination, a new, cleaner life is in the future for Grand Haven’s Harbor Island – but it will take at least six years to get there. Before redevelopment can occur, a massive effort to clean up contamination must be mounted. Read the full story by MLive.com.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-contamination-cleanup

James Polidori

The Wisconsin DNR reminds anglers that the opening of Lake Superior’s lake trout season is December 1, running until September 30, or until the harvest cap is met. Anyone looking to harvest lake trout must purchase a Great Lakes trout and salmon stamp in addition to their fishing license. Read the full story by WEAU-TV – Eau Claire, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221202-trout-season

James Polidori