In Illinois, Indiana and the four other Midwest states surrounding the Great Lakes, the number of water pollution cases filed by the EPA has declined during each of the past three years, according to a new analysis of agency records by the nonprofit Environmental Law and Policy Center. Read the full story by Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-epa-enforcement
In Indiana, five communities have made emergency declarations due damages related to erosion, this concern is also due in part that it could also drive tourists away; millions visit Indiana’s lakeshore every year, contributing more than $350 million to the local economy annually. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-shorelines
A lack of protective ice cover on Lake Erie this winter plus historic high-water levels has led to changing priorities in Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle from bolstering beach and swimming areas to instead making sure that infrastructure is safe. Read the full story by Erie Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-erosion-presque
The 40th annual Cleveland Race Week, the largest sailing regatta on Lake Erie and one of the largest in the country, has been postponed from June to August because of the coronavirus. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-race-regatta
The Michigan Department of Transportation is set to begin a $3.2 million project to move US-2 away from the Lake Michigan shoreline. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-sinkholes
During a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the Michigan Public Service Commission voted to seek public comment on Enbridge’s most recent request, which asks the state to either approve its plan to site the pipeline or rule that the company already has approval. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-line5
For many people in the Midwest, Lake Michigan is a great source of pride and identity. Even though the lake has a critical impact on us, we fail to recognize the uncertainty of Lake Michigan’s future by not addressing or accepting the reality of climate change. Read the full story by Marquette Wire.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-home-lakes
American Steamship Co. with more than a century of transportation history in Buffalo, has become the latest victim of financial struggles prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, temporarily laying off 175 workers as it seeks to keep its operation afloat. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-shipping-lakes
Water levels in Lake Erie, and the Great Lake system overall, are higher this year than they’ve been in over a century, and for people who live and work next to the water, the impacts can be significant. Read the full story by The Oberlin Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-climate-lakes
Normally at this time of year, the Plover Lovers would be seeking volunteers to help monitor and educate the public about the birds this spring and summer, but the volunteer program has been has been cancelled until further notice. Read the full story by Owen Sound Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-piping-plover
The Air Force (AF) is allocating $13.5 million toward per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remediation at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB) in Oscoda, MI many assumed this would be used for PFAS clean up – it was learned that the AF plans to use the funds for more research and not on direct cleanup. Read the full story by Iosco County News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-pfas
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $752,933 in funding to Mackinac Island Ferry Company in St. Ignace; the shipyard is one of 24 U.S. small shipyards receiving part of a $19.6 million in grants through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. Read the full story by UpNorthLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-shipyard
The City of Cheboygan is being considered as a stop for cruise ships touring the Great Lakes along with several other Michigan cities along the coast including Traverse City and Alpena. Read the full story by Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-cruise
Social distancing has caused the annual Michigan Ludington Lake Jump, which has raised nearly $600,000 for various causes over the past 20 years, to record themselves jumping into chilly water at home instead of the frigid Lake Michigan waters. Read the full story by 9 & 10 News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-lake-jump
Having gathered public input from boaters and anglers, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will not develop the Silver Lake Basin boating access site in Marquette County as a walk-in-only facility. Read the full story by WLUC- TV – Nagaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-dnr-boating
The Van Buren Conservation District has been awarded a $413,000 grant to help prevent runoff into Michigan’s Pine and Mill Creeks. Read the full story by 94.9 WSJM – St. Joseph, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-runoff
New York Assemblyman Brian Manktelow has been tapped by Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay to advocate for homeowners and businesses along the Lake Ontario shoreline whose properties have suffered thousands of dollars in flooding damage two of the past three years from record lake levels. Read the full story by Finger Lake Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-ontario-flooding
A new report shows the number of industrial facilities reporting water pollution violations in the Midwest has spiked since 2017, which could be due to a decline in enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency. Read the full story by WFIU Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-epa-pollution
From the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River in the east to the shores of Lake Superior in the west, the communities that grew up along the Great Lakes and weathered so many transitions along the way are bracing for what could be the biggest transition of all. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200421-climate-change
The coronavirus pandemic keeping millions of Americans in their homes may keep Great Lakes freighter crews from setting foot on land for weeks at a time, all in an effort to promote safety through social distancing. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-freighter
The coronavirus pandemic keeping millions of Americans in their homes may keep Great Lakes freighter crews from setting foot on land for weeks at a time, all in an effort to promote safety through social distancing. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-freighter
A grass carp was located last month during a Michigan DNR survey of the Tittabawassee River, below the Dow Dam in Midland County. Read the full story by 9 & 10 News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-carp
High-water levels that could set records throughout the Great Lakes are expected to persist for at least the next six months, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported in its six-month forecast. Read the full story by Ellwood City Ledger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-erie-waters
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has canceled its in-person classes for outdoor safety certificates and is now offering only online courses. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-dnr-education
The County Road Association of Michigan on Thursday, April 9, released estimated damage figures to county road infrastructure caused by high water levels on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the White Lake Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-lakes-infrastructure
The city is requesting $900,000 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $700,000 of which would be used to acquire up to 535 acres along the St. Louis River; the goal is to restore the land with native plant species, and preserve it for years to come. Read and view the full story by WDIO – TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-duluth-river
The Lake-to-River Corridor comprises four counties in Ohio, which border western Pennsylvania and connect Lake Erie to the Ohio River, and aims to capitalize on available properties and other assets and to align the resources of the five partner organizations for mutual benefit. Read the full story by The Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-lake-corridor
A series of measures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus could have implications for Michigan’s recreational fishery in the coming years. Read the full story by MiBiz.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200413-fish-virus
Waukesha this month is bidding the first large construction contracts for its new Lake Michigan drinking water system. Read the full story by Milwaukee Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-waukesha-water
At the request of Bay Mills tribal leaders, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying how to protect the shoreline near the historic graveyard under a tribal partnership program that waives the cost of federal project analysis and design work. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-tribal-erosion
Under a binational agreement reached last week, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario are entitled to catch and harvest 10.2 million walleye — an increase of 20 percent over last year’s 8.5 million fish. Read the full story by Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-erie-walleye
New York State’s coal-burning era will end Tuesday, when Somerset Operating Co. officially retires its power plant on the shore of Lake Ontario in Niagara County. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-newyork-coal
Plans to broaden knowledge about the vulnerability of specific shoreline areas to erosion are struggling to get off the ground as the $12 million Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study was not included in the Army Corps 2020 work plan or the Trump Administration’s 2021 budget. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-coastal-study
Daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging for all but especially for those without access to water for basic consumption and essential health needs. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-water-resources
As the winter snow melts, the road salt and other chemicals used to treat icy roads are slowly making its way into lakes, rivers, and streams. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is teaming up with the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute to test the environmental effects of an alternative to road salt. Read the full story by WJMN – TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-road-salt
Since the World Health Organization declared the dangerous virus a global pandemic on March 11, industries worldwide, including Great Lakes shipping, have worked to mitigate the spread of the disease and keep people safe Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-shipping
Flushable wipes do not disintegrate like toilet paper in water, which is causing a massive problem for sewer systems in the Great Lakes region and the world. Fatbergs happen when water-insoluble materials (e.g. flushable wipes, paper towels) get flushed down the drain. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-sewersystem-wipes
Preliminary numbers show March is going to be another record-setter for some Great Lakes water levels; Lakes Michigan-Huron, Lake Erie and a Great Lakes connecting lake, Lake St. Clair, will all have new official March water levels. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200331-water-level
A Traverse City native is taking it upon himself to help clean up our waters. Read the full story by WWTV – TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-greatlakes-clean
If you’re interested in using more Great Lakes-related lessons in your at-home learning these days; here are three upcoming webinars that will be focusing on how to teach students remotely about the Great Lakes using the lessons in our collection. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-greatlakes-learning
While all sorts of entertainment and enrichment centers around the Great Lakes are closed in response to the coronavirus crisis, many of them are offering free online programs, activities and tours for the public to enjoy. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-museums-online
The water of a Toronto creek turned red on Tuesday after a company accidentally spilled 400 liters of red ink. Read the full story by Daily Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-ink-toronto
A new stocking strategy will be taking place that will give anglers in the open lake, fishermen taking advantage of the staging fishery off the creek and river mouths, along with tributary fishermen, the biggest bang for their slightly diminished stocking efforts. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-salmon-ontario
The Seaway’s Montreal/Lake Ontario section will open on April 1, eight days after the opening of the Welland Canal. This hybrid approach will enable the International Joint Commission to move record volumes of water out of Lake Ontario in order to provide relief to lakeshore communities battered by high water levels. Read the full story by WorkBoat.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-seaway-season
Seasonal rise across the lakes has already begun; Hydrologists predict water levels in 2020 will peak at or near those seen last year, in large part because water is entering the system in record volumes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-coastal
The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to hear PolyMet Mining Inc.’s appeal of a ruling that canceled three permits needed for its proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-mining
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today it is awarding almost $49 million to help state and tribal governments encourage private landowners to allow public access to their land for hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation. Read the full story by WLNS-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200312-michigan-dnr
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has officially declared the Jan. 10-12 storm that hit southeastern Wisconsin an emergency, opening funding avenues for repairing the estimated $10 million in regional damage — $2.58 million in Racine County. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200312-fema-shoreline
H2Ohio, described as a data-driven plan to reduce harmful algal blooms, creates the opportunity for Ohio farmers to adopt measures designed to reduce nutrient runoff, while mitigating the financial burden of these actions. Read the full story by the Putnam County Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200312-h2ohio-farmers
Rome Fish Hatchery is undergoing work to mitigate zebra mussels discovered in late January in a lake that supplies water to the hatchery, one of the largest of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s dozen hatcheries. Read the full story by the Rome Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200312-hatchery-mussels
