With the aquifer that supplies drinking water to Joliet, Illinois, expected to dry up by 2030, the community is in talks with both the city of Chicago and the city of Hammond to provide water from Lake Michigan. Read the full story by CBS Chicago.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201215-joilet
Decades after they gave up the adventure of searching for shipwrecks, two underwater explorers with Alpena roots made a thrilling find in the waters of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary by discovering a Civil War-era shipwreck not seen in nearly 160 years. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201215-shipwreck
Dickinson County, Michigan adopted a resolution Monday in support of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, urging completion of a tunnel replacement project with no disruption of service. The resolution comes in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent demand the company shut down its oil pipeline that crosses the bottom of the waterway connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201215-dickinson
Threatened with a court injunction by a prominent Canadian environmental law organization, the town of South Bruce Peninsula in Ontario has postponed its dune excavation project at Sauble Beach. Read the full story by the Stratford Beacon Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201215-sauble
Another future U.S. Navy warship has completed acceptance trials on Lake Michigan. Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 23, the future USS Cooperstown, passed several trials in advance of its commissioning to the US Navy in 2021. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201215-navy-ship
The International Joint Commission’s Triennial Assessment of Progress Report calls on the U.S. and Canada to study nutrient runoff entering Lake Superior and its role in the formation of blue-green algae blooms on the Lake. The chair of the IJC called Lake Superior a “canary in the coal mine” regarding climate change in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-superior-habs
Legislation that would have helped Michigan and other states force the U.S. Department of Defense to comply with stringent state laws governing military pollution cleanup has been stripped from an annual defense bill moving through Congress. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-pfas
Enbridge Energy’s attempts to get the permits it needs to build a new section of its controversial Line 5 oil and natural gas pipeline were stymied yesterday as an administrative law judge will now reconsider the scope of the permit application. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-line5
For decades, tourism-oriented development and high-end waterfront housing have slowly been supplanting working waterfront infrastructure, threatening local family businesses that rely on easy access to the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Conversation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-coastal-gentrification
A new report by the International Joint Commission found that public concern about climate change is escalating in the Great Lakes region. Chemicals of mutual concern and runoff were also among the top concerns for residents. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-ijc-public-opinion
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewerage District agreed modify a $3 billion plan to reduce sewage in waterways following rainstorms. The plan saves costs for construction of tunnels around Cleveland that would remove polluted storm water and raw sewage and prevent untreated flows from entering Lake Erie and its tributaries. Read the full story by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-neorsd
Several lawmakers from New York requested the IJC immediately authorize the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board to deviate from Plan 2014 water level management procedures through October of 2021 to mitigate risks of flooding and protect shoreline communities. Read the full story by the Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-ijc-deviation
Federal, state and local officials on Wednesday celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that’s pumped $2.75 billion into cleaning up toxic hotspots and restoring habitat along the region’s most degraded waterways. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-glri-10yr
A bipartisan bill to address rising water levels and shoreline erosion in the Great Lakes has passed the Senate. The bill would provide support for local communities facing rising water levels, coastal erosion, and flooding that have put homes and property at risk, and caused millions of dollars in damages. Read the full story by WSYM – TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201212-senate-bill
Members of Congress touted the passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2020 as a victory in preventing the introduction of invasive carp into the Great Lakes. The bill authorizes a greater federal cost-share of funding for Brandon Road lock and dam project in Joliet, Illinois. Read the full story by the Herald News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201211-wrda
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is extending its review of the Line 5 tunnel until January 2021 to allow for more time to process public comments, technical information and recommendations from the State Historic Preservation Office. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-line5-tunnel
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s action to revoke Enbridge’s Line 5 easement is an overdue and necessary step towards protecting the Great Lakes and ensuring Anishinaabe communities will have the ability to fish, work and recreate on the Straits of Mackinaw for generations to come. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-anishinaabe-line5
Enbridge Energy began construction on its Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement in Minnesota on Tuesday, a day after state regulators approved the final permit for the $2.6 billion project amid legal challenges from local activist and Indigenous groups. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-line3
The recent “State of the Strait” report described how environmental clean-up efforts have improved the Detroit River and western Lake Erie, but warned that the waters are “at a defining moment” as algal blooms continue to plague the waters. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-state-of-strait
A freighter ran aground early Wednesday in the lower Detroit River near Grosse Ile causing a vessel attempting to avoid it to hit bottom and a logjam for other ships rushing to move cargo ahead of the close of the shipping season. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-ship-aground
Shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson located another shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan near Pyramid Point at the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Northern Michigan. The Jarvis Lord sunk 135 years ago while carrying iron ore from St. Ignace to Chicago. Read the full story by WWUP-TV – 9&10 News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-jarvis-lord
With more students – and grown-ups – doing their work remotely these days, some of Ludington, Michigan’s, favorite tourist spots have pulled together a large lineup of remote learning and entertainment options. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-ludington
By acting to shutdown Line 5 across the Mackinaw Straits, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel are effectively protecting the “public trust” in Michigan’s waters and natural resource. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-line5-commentary-2
The International Joint Commission announced that the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River board will be reformed, reducing the number of members to six – three from Canada and three from the United States. The reformed group will seek input from a more-inclusive advisory body. Read the full story by the Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-ijc-restructure
The St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (SLELO PRISM) is offering an online presentation about invasive species that threaten local areas, and ways for residents to help protect lands and waters against these species. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201203-is-webinar
As high water levels persist in the Great Lakes, Michigan communities are revisiting their coastal land use policies that allowed residents to build homes precariously close to the shoreline, with devastating consequences when Great Lakes water levels inevitably rise. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-land-use-planning
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s move to shut down the section of the Line 5 oil pipeline that runs through the Mackinaw Straits relies on the state’s public trust doctrine that compels state authorities to protect the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-public-trust
The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has published an online interactive map of lighthouses in the Great Lakes region. The map lets users learn more about the history of the lighthouses and information for visiting. Read the full story by WKFR – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-lighthouse-map
The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario, launched a major fundraising campaign to renovate their new waterfront home and announced plans to acquire a Titanic-era steamship that will serve as a centerpiece for the new museum. Read the full story by Global News Canada.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-museum
National Geographic featured Isle Royale on Lake Superior as on the top places to visit in 2021 and described the island as “a best-kept secret of a national park” and “edge-of-nowhere remote.” Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-isle-royale
The city of Flint and two other defendants joined the $600-million Flint water crisis settlement the state of Michigan announced in August, bringing the total value of the settlement in the lead poisoning case to $641.2 million. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-flint-settlement
Following public opposition to the planned construction of a nuclear waste storage facility near Lake Huron, the Canadian federal government has launched a new initiative aimed at finding long-term solutions for the growing quantity of radioactive waste produced by Canada’s nuclear reactors. Read the full story by the Times Colonist.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-nuclear-waste
A new mapping tool from The Nature Conservancy shows areas with habitat and ecosystems in Michigan that can adapt to allow native species to thrive. The map also highlights connecting corridors that would allow species to move safely within and between these climate-resilient areas. Read the full story by the Metro Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-resilience-maps
Volunteer search and rescue teams on Lake Ontario have responded to a record-breaking number of rescue missions this year as more Ontario residents flocked to the lake this year for “staycations” during the pandemic. Read the full story by Y108 – Hamilton, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-marine-rescues
Three drownings in Lake Michigan this past summer and more than a dozen water rescues has prompted City Council members in South Haven, Michigan, to form a committee to examine whether changes need to be made to the current beach and water safety plan, including adding lifeguards to the beach. Read the full story by The Herald-Palladium.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020118-south-haven
State health officials in Wisconsin are recommending groundwater quality standards for 22 substances found in Wisconsin waters, including pesticides and PFAS chemicals. These recommendations initiate a multi-year rulemaking process before the proposed standards become law. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-wi-gw-health
A new report by a binational group of scientists found that climate change has a compounding impact on multiple environmental stressors in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-climate-stress
An innovative Canadian company is launching a dog food made from the invasive Asian carp that currently threaten the Great Lakes. The Montreal-based company expects to import 50 to 100 tons of Asian carp over the next year from fishers in Illinois. Read the full story by Radio Canada International.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-carp-to-kibble
High lake levels and storms on Lake Superior are pushing toxic sands into Grand Traverse Harbor on Lake Superior, forcing operators to continue to dredge these sands to prevent them from covering important whitefish spawning habitat in the lake. Read the full story by the Daily Mining Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-dredge-sand
Bipartisan members of Congress from the Great Lakes states are advocating for increased Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding to address coastal erosion in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-erosion
The disruption from the coronavirus pandemic forced environmental regulatory agencies to modify operations and temporarily allow looser compliance with regulations. As the pandemic has continued, agencies have adjusted to resuming normal enforcement actions. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-covid-compliance
The gales of November are known to be treacherous for ships out on the Great Lakes, including the Schooner Pathfinder, which sank off the coast of Wisconsin near Manitowoc in 1886. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-pathfinder
The company responsible for illegally storing limestone on a riverfront property that partially collapsed into the Detroit River last November will pay the city of Detroit $15,000 in damages. Environmentalists believe the settlement is insufficient to deter future reckless actions. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-dock-settlement
Michigan health officials plan to study the potential long-term health effects of PFAS exposure on people in West Michigan communities. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-pfas-study
After years of fishing companies closing, Lake Superior is adding on a new fishery this month in northern Wisconsin. The new company, Red Cliff Fish Company, will work with tribal fisherman to sell sustainably caught fish. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201112-new-fish-co
As a region whose economy relies heavily on tourism, Ohio’s Lake Erie area has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic. To stay viable, businesses in the area pivoted to offering more socially distanced outdoor activities for visitors. Read the full story by the Fremont News Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201106-erie-tourism
The Minnesota Supreme Court must decide whether the company planning to build the state’s first copper mine engaged in “sham permitting” and intentionally misled state regulators about the intended size of the mine. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201106-polymet
A new wetlands project in Sandusky County, Ohio that plans to turn 54 acres of frequently flooded farmland into a public nature preserve will begin next week. The property was purchased by the Black Swamp Conservancy and will provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife. Read the full story by the Fremont News Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201106-h2ohio
A recent study found that the invasive round goby fish in the Great Lakes can eat juvenile invasive zebra and quagga mussels and prevent mussel colonization of bare rocks. The findings suggest possible pathways for preventing the spread of invasive mussels. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201106-goby-eat-mussel
The 1940 Armistice Day storm on Lake Michigan was among the deadliest storms to cross the lake, sinking multiple ships and claiming 164 lives. As the 80th anniversary of the event approaches, a new exhibit in Holland, Michigan, will commemorate the stories of the lives and boats that were lost. Read the full story by Second Wave Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201106-holland-diver
