At a recent public hearing, community environmental groups urged the Northern Indiana Public Service Company to protect public health and fully remediate the areas currently used as a coal ash pond near a power generation facility in Northwest Indiana. Read the full story by the Indiana Environmental Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-nipsco
To reach the Atlantic Ocean from Lake Erie through Canada, freight vessels must traverse a series of locks, known as Neptune’s Staircase, that drop 100 meters down the Niagara Escarpment. Read the full story by the Niagara Falls Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-locks
In a case described as the “clean water case of the century,” the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Water Act applies to pollutants reaching legally protected waters indirectly through groundwater. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-scotus-cwa
Coal was once the primary commodity shipped from the Port of Duluth-Superior, but coal shipping has declined as the demand for coal has dropped throughout the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-energy-port
Shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway opened on April 1, so the Windsor Port Authority issued a message Wednesday that it remains fully open for business and fulfilling its vital role during ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Read the full story by Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-climate-change
Concerns about possible exposure to the coronavirus through aerosolized wastewater have prompted some treatment facilities in Michigan to ask state regulators to relax some routine testing requirements until the potential danger passes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-sewage
The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, distributed thousands of sandbags to residents at risk of flood damage as the Fox River and Lake Michigan reach record-high water levels. Read the full story by WBAY–TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-green-bay
City officials in South Haven, Michigan, say repairs to their marina due to historically high water levels are more expensive than expected, but necessary to protect critical infrastructure. Read the full story by WKZO – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-south-haven
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission has approved its 2020 Lake Erie Protection and Restoration Plan to address priorities including nutrient pollution reduction, invasive species, and habitat restoration. Read the full story by WNVO–TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-ohio-lake-erie-commission
Lake Ontario’s water level is below record levels observed last year, but remains above average levels, thanks primarily to favorable weather conditions this spring. Read the full story by WWNY–TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-lake-ontario
The cancellation of outreach programs and academic conferences is a blow to education and research collaboration in the Great Lakes. COVID-19 has also left scientists uncertain about conducting summer research on the Great Lakes this year. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-research
High water levels last summer couldn’t knock the west side Port Dalhousie, Ontario piers off their completion schedule, but the coronavirus can. Rehabilitation of the piers on Lake Ontario is temporarily shut down due to the province’s COVID-19 state of emergency restrictions on construction projects. Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-port-dalhousie
The Common Council of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, approved funding to construct a new drinking water intake in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Sheboygan Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-infx-bond
A barge was freed three days after running aground in Lake St. Clair with minimal damage and no evidence of hazardous waste release. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-st-clair
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch populations remain steady this year after doubling from the levels in the previous year. Read the full story by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-walleye
Shoreline residents in West Michigan are erecting sea barriers and moving their homes further inland as Lake Michigan inches towards record heights and swallows even more property this year. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-lake-mi-defense
The Wisconsin DNR is shifting its stocking plans for trout and salmon this year due to coronavirus concerns, cancelling offshore stocking efforts and instead releasing more salmon in nearshore locations. Read the full story by the Door County Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-salmon
Researchers from the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research are monitoring sewage at wastewater treatment plants to evaluate the rate of coronavirus infections in Windsor, Ontario. Read the full story by the CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-sewage
Record-setting lake levels and sustained winds worsened erosion along Lake Erie this week, destroying previous efforts to mitigate erosion damage and protect roads near the lake. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-ashtabula
Six-month forecasts predict the Great Lakes to break current water level records in July and August, giving Lake Michigan and Lake Huron 4 trillion gallons more water than when the highest water level was in the fall of 1986. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-high-water
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is expanding its free virtual education initiatives to provide visitors with new history-based, home-learning opportunities. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-museum-virtual
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy extended the comment period on the status of water quality in the Lake Erie Adaptive Management Plan until June. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-mi-erie-lamp
The International Joint Commission is allowing deviations from the Lake Ontario lake level management plan and permitting the release of more water from to lake to offset rising water levels. Read the full story by WXXI – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-ijc
Once abundant along Lake Superior’s north shore and islands, only 50 caribou remain in the region as populations dwindle from wolf predation and habitat loss. Read the full story by the Post Bulletin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-caribou
Lake Erie water levels are three inches about 1986 record water levels, and a foot higher than 2019. Read the full story by the Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-lake-erie-levels
Door County, Wisconsin, has joined the growing ranks of tourist destinations that are closing resorts and turning away visitors, hoping that shutting their doors now will help them open sooner in the coming months. Read the full story by the Wausau Pilot & Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-closed-door
Video footage of the Lake Huron shoreline in Michigan reveals the extent of damage caused by high-water levels to property and infrastructure. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-helicopter-footage
The state of Michigan formed the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team to coordinate action across seven state departments to detect and mitigate PFAS contamination. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-mpart
Families in Kent County, Michigan, have 300 times the recommended limit of PFAS coming out of faucets in their homes. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200406-pfas
The coronavirus pandemic has the Great Lakes tourism industry uncertain about their businesses, especially if the epidemic extends into the summer. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-parks-biz
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has temporarily made public access to all state parks and recreation areas free in order to limit transactions between the public and staff in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to encourage people to pursue healthy activities outdoors. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200319-restoring-lakes
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is planning to release more trout into Lake Ontario and Lake Erie watersheds than anticipated because the trout were grown in hatcheries where zebra mussels were discovered, and thus staff have decided to release the fish only in waters where mussels were previously found. Read the full story by the Times Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-trout
Ohio has closed lodges in its state parks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, however most parks currently remain open to the public. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-oh-park
New York state officials have continued to limit chinook salmon stocking and catch limits in Lake Ontario as the state works to improve the low alewife populations that serve as the chinook’s food source. Read the full story by New York Upstate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-chinook
The 2019 walleye hatch in Lake Erie has been the second largest recorded since the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ first implementation of the current modern fish survey system. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-walleye
Michigan is allowing its state beaches, parks and recreation areas to remain open, but is restricting large gatherings and urging proper hygiene while using the parks. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-parks-mi
Lawmakers in the Wisconsin Legislature are proposing several bills to mitigate damage caused by shoreline erosion. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-shoreline-bill
Forest preserves in the Chicago area offer opportunities to find rare plant species and beautiful views of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-lake-co-parks
South Haven, Michigan, closed its marina for the summer season due to damage from high Great Lakes water this winter. The city faces at least $16 million in estimated damage from the high-water levels. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-south-haven
Four of the five Great Lakes set a new monthly record for water levels this February. Read the full story by TV – WBAY – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-water-records
Walleye catches in Wisconsin have declined in recent years as climate change and warming water have altered aquatic food webs and walleye habitat. Read the full story by the Ashland Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-wisconsin-walleye
Politicians running for office this year are using water issues like PFAS, water affordability, and Line 5 to rally support for their campaigns in Michigan. Read the full story by HuffPost.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-michigan-water
Ohio’s recent announcement to set a daily limit on the amount of pollution entering Lake Erie is a critical acknowledgement that voluntary farmer actions are insufficient to protect Ohio’s most critical resource. Read the full story by the Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-oepa
Lake Erie is vital to Ohio and creates jobs for the state. In an editorial, Senator Sherrod Brown outlines how Congress is acting to support efforts to clean up the lake. Read the full story by The Daily Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-sherrod-brown
Lawmakers in Oswego, New York, proposed a new law that allows communities to sue the International Joint Commission for damages from flooding along Lake Ontario. Read the full story from Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-oswego
The Michigan cities of Detroit and Flint received $1.6 million from the Great Lakes Water Authority to assist customers with past-due water bills and water conservation education. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-detroit-glwa
The town of Ogden Dunes, Indiana, filed a lawsuit against federal agencies accusing them of inappropriately interfering with their shoreline protection plans and causing erosion that threatens to destroy homes and infrastructure in their community. Read the full story by WFLD-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-indiana-erosion
With the longest freshwater coast in the United States, the landscape of Michigan is defined by water. These photos highlight its diverse beauty. Read the full story from The Atlantic.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-michigan-photos
The Town Council of Beverly Shores, Indiana, voted to procure a $5 million bond to help address erosion along Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-beverley-shores
Homeowners trying to prevent shoreline erosion on their property in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, face a difficult and costly permitting process for getting approval to install erosion prevention practices. Read the full story by The Traverse City Ticker.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200309-permitting
