The Environmental Protection Agency will be addressing concerns raised by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe over remediation efforts on New York’s Grasse River after the Tribal Council said the EPA’s chosen remedy to remediate the Grasse River was a “devastating failure.” Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220907-grasse-river
An Ottawa County, Michigan, electroplating company and two of its top officers have pleaded guilty to violating the federal Clean Water Act by discharging wastewater with excessive amounts of zinc. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220907-clean-water-act
At almost 300 sites on the Great Lakes and coast to coast, unregulated buried and landfilled coal ash is putting water supplies at risk, alleges a federal lawsuit filed August 25. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-coal-ash
For the many coal plants located on the shores of the Great Lakes, coal ash flooding into the lakes and tributaries is a serious risk highlighted in a June 2022 report by the Environmental Law & Policy Center that focused on how climate change could exacerbate rainfall and high lake levels in southern Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-coal-ash-climate-change
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy confirmed the presence of Didymosphenia geminata, or didymo — a nuisance algae known as “rock snot” — in a stretch of the Boardman River. Read the full story by the Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-rock-snot
The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation is studying how fish species spawn in Lake Ontario and hoping to help boost their population in the process by creating two “spawning reefs” in Chaumont Bay and Black River Bay, for several species of native fish. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Dexter, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-lake-ontario
Located at Lake Superior State University’s Richard & Theresa Barch Center for Freshwater Research and Education, the Center of Expertise will conduct research examining the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments to help develop effective responses. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-coast-guard
Ohio’s South Bass Islands are hoping visitors are able to vacation and learn about the importance of Lake Erie. Ohio Sea Grant’s Aquatic Visitors Center and the Ohio State University’s Stone Lab are hard at work helping tourists understand the shared responsibility for this natural resource. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-south-bass-island
A football sized goldfish, which likely was a released pet, was caught on Pine River which flows into Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-goldfish
Large amounts of “unsightly” and smelly vegetation has been washing up on Toronto’s Cherry Beach shoreline recently, but the director of water programs at Swim Drink Fish Canada says there’s no need for alarm. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-cherry-beach
The Lake Erie Volunteer Science Network — a collaboration of 16 local water quality monitoring programs convened by the Cleveland Water Alliance — has published a set of standards for volunteer-collected data. The standards aim to empower communities to tell a new regional story about the health of watersheds and support smart environmental education, research, and management. Read the full story by WaterWorld.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-data
Québec’s cold waters are and extremely low levels of pollution from industrial or urban sources is favorable for high quality algae growth. Fifteen species are now certified “Fourchette bleue” or Blue Fork 2022, a Québec certification that aims to introduce new marine products to the public while also supporting sustainable use of the resource. Read the full story by The Conservation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220826-algae
Professor emeritus of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan Don Scavia explains why voluntary measures to control the nutrient runoff from farms that fuels the blooms haven’t worked and are unlikely to, and called on the EPA to shift its focus from practices to outcomes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-alagl-blooms
Work is underway on two projects meant to bolster the flood resiliency of parks in the Cayuga County village of Fair Haven, New York, in response to flooding along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by The Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-flood-resiliency
A federal judge Thursday kept jurisdiction over a lawsuit seeking to close an oil pipeline crossing a section of the Great Lakes, rejecting Michigan’s effort to shift the case to state court. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-enbridge
An increasing number of hybrid pink and chinook salmon, “pinook”, are being caught in Lake Michigan but where exactly they are coming from remains a mystery. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-pinook
Pere Marquette beach in Muskegon, Michigan is the focus of an upcoming community cleanup effort that will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 22 as part of the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Adopt-A-Beach program. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-beach-cleanup
Scientists for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin research later this month on sea lampreys in and around Michigan’s Long Lake to estimate sea lamprey populations. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-lamprey
After a decade long hiatus, residents and tourists will soon be able to enjoy boat tours on the Canadian side of the St. Marys River again. Sault Lock Tours says it is excited to present the ‘Miss Marie,’ a 100-person capacity vessel that recently arrived at the Roberta Bondar dock. Read and listen to the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-boat-tours
Illinois is fifth in the nation for clean energy jobs and investing in offshore wind will keep Illinois on the path to sustainability and continued economic growth. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-offshore-energy
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is hosting a public meeting to gather feedback on the management of salmon and trout on Lake Michigan on Tuesday, Aug. 30, where DNR staff members will present the latest Lake Michigan survey information. Read the full story by the Ozaukee Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-trout-meeting
A combined $4.5 million in funding will allow five projects in Ozaukee Country, Wisconsin to get funded including Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve along Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220819-ozaukee-county
In the first six weeks of 2022, seven earthquakes were recorded in the eastern basin of Lake Erie. Over 200 earthquakes have been recorded since 1776 in Ohio, mostly around Lake Erie. Scientists are working on figuring out what is causing them. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-earthquakes
Of the many tools used in the fight to bring Great Lakes piping plovers back from the threat of extinction, the common household feather duster might be the most unexpected — and adorable — of them all. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-piping-plovers
The Monroe County Health Department received preliminary positive results this week from testing of a suspected blue-green algae bloom in Lake Erie at Michigan’s Sterling State Park and Luna Pier Beach. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-algal-bloom
This year’s annual Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fish survey of Lake Superior found a strong lake trout population and is a good sign of the lake’s reclaimed productivity after decades of damage caused by blood-sucking sea lamprey that are now being controlled. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-lake-trout
Ohio’s Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School students spend classroom time on a barge, helping to make an impact on Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-argonauts
After six decades of being buried underground, Serson Creek, or one of Mississauga, Ontario’s “lost Rivers” once again flows into Lake Ontario. Read the full story by Insauga News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-mississauga-river
In addition to updating major infrastructure needs, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is more than halfway through a two-year pilot project that applies structured decision-making to assess the resilience of the Au Sable River in the face of existing and emerging threats. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-au-sable-river
The task force charged with finding a solution to a pollution problem threatening Lake Superior whitefish and lake trout has identified a plan that members said could save a valuable spawning reef off the Keweenaw Peninsula. But the plan already faces major obstacles. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-buffalo-reef
The Lake Michigan basin is down about eight inches from just one year ago (July 2021) but is currently still nine inches above its July average. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-water-levels
The Great Lakes Coalition will hold its annual membership meeting at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Haworth Hotel on the campus of Hope College, 225 College Ave. All persons interested in the Great Lakes, whether members of the Coalition or not, are invited to attend. Read the full story by the South Haven Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220801-great-lakes-coalition
In the fifty years since the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was first enacted, large efforts have been made to clean up and restore the Great Lakes but there is still more to accomplish. Read the full story by Canadian Geographic.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-great-lakes
The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a group focused on preservation of the areas around the mouth of the Kalamazoo River, allowing the group to argue in circuit court against a proposed development that would impact Michigan’s coastal dunes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-dunes
As climate change continues to make a milder Michigan winter, more Canada geese are becoming full-time residents, opting to stay in cities over the winter rather than flying further south. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-geese
The newest freighter to ply the Great Lakes began her maiden voyage yesterday; a trip from Wisconsin to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to load stone that will be used to make ready-mix for making concrete. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-cargo-ship
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assessment crew will conduct work on the Oconto River to estimate the abundance of sea lampreys, as the river is considered a “regular producer” of sea lampreys which migrate out to Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Green Bay Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-oconto
With major ports along the US east and west coasts struggling with cargo backlogs due to knock-on effects from supply chain issues, shippers are looking to long-ignored ports in the Great Lakes as a way to get supplies into and out of America. Read the full story by the BBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-shipping
Thanks to a team effort among: Keep Ohio Beautiful, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Sea Grant and The Ohio Clean Marinas program — devices called “seabins” are being installed in marinas from Huron to Geneva, Ohio. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-seabins
Sustainable and inclusive development of the St. Lawrence River is precedent, as development in its current form will have a negative consequence for the people and the environment of North America. Read the full story by The Conversation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-st.-lawrence-river
According to The Ohio Wetlands Association, Ohio has lost more than 90% of its wetlands, largely because of agriculture, real estate development and the expansion of recreational areas. The Nature Conservancy is working hard to protect the ones that are left. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-wetlands
Mike Shoreman, who said he wants to become the first disabled man to cross all five Great Lakes on a paddleboard, crossed Lake Michigan on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday and is now one step away from completing his quest. Read the full story WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220729-paddleboarder
In the Great Lakes basin, public water supplies and industrial water consumption are continually both the largest users and consumers of water, but overall usage of Great Lakes water has gone down in recent years according to the Great Lakes Commission’s most recent water use report. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-water-consumers
Great Lakes officials are using tech to scan the web for businesses selling invasive species. The Great Lakes Commission is testing a web-crawler that scans for websites selling invasive species that could harm the Great Lakes. Read the full story Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-gldiatr
Michigan’s fisheries will be getting a $34 million boost from the state’s new budget, which will go to infrastructure upgrades at Michigan’s aging fish hatcheries and replacing an outdated Great Lakes survey vessel. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-fish-budget
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, a 300-mile freshwater system that includes both Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, has seen a steady increase in traffic since the start of its 2022 navigation season with few supply chain issues. Read the full story WWTI-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-supply-chain
Beyond the health risks of algal blooms, Toledo, Ohio residents are paying the price for this ever-present threat. According to a report released in May by the nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes, the city of Toledo spends, on average, $18.76 per person annually on algal bloom monitoring and treatment, making water bills unaffordable to many. Read the full story by Grist.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-water-cost
The group Citizens Against Wind Turbines In Lake Erie held an informational meeting Tuesday night in Hamburg, New York calling for a moratorium on offshore turbines in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, New York.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-wind-turbines
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced on Wednesday that it received a $150,000 grant to expand K-12 environmental education in the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River watersheds. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-education
While many flame retardants are now banned, accumulation in wildlife is still prevalent, with these chemicals being found in almost all the animals studied in the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by The Conversation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220715-flame-retardants
