The U.S. House of Representatives passed new legislation pledging to share 80 percent of the cost for a project to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WKBD-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-house-bill-carp
The transportation and infrastructure committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation to build a system to prevent invasive carp from penetrating the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois and entering the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-carp-barrier
In Fairport Harbor, Ohio, the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse has been hit hard by the pandemic since fewer tours are going through and volunteers aren’t able to staff the building. To help soften the blow, the Fairport Harbor Creamery has been asking patrons if they’d like to donate $1.00 when they make a purchase. Read the full story by WEWS-TV- Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-Fairport-Harbor
Low dissolved oxygen levels in Port Colborne, Ontario has caused a fish kill and some fish have been seen gulping for air at the water’s surface. Water flow and temperature are two parameters that can affect the dissolved oxygen concentration. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-gulping-fish
Each summer since the 2014 Toledo water crisis that poisoned the metro system’s tap water for nearly three days, the city’s Collins Park Water Treatment plant has fortified its defenses against algal toxins in western Lake Erie that endanger public health this time of year. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-water-plant
Spending the night on Kellys Isand, the largest U.S. island in Lake Erie, is a nice quiet way to experience Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-Kelleys-island
The city of Flint announced it has collected 163 water samples as part of a massive effort to test water quality. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-flint-samples
While they may please beachgoers, this month’s warmer temperatures in the Great Lakes have scientists concerned about an early spawn of algal blooms and how the heated lakes could affect aquatic life. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-algal-bloom
Oswego, New York is considering an end to the Oswego Yacht Club’s occupation of the International Pier as part of a larger effort to improve the waterfront and create a publicly accessible and attractive jetty that complements the improvements at Wright’s Landing Marina and Breitbeck Park. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-yacht-club
Federal forecasters, hydrologists and university experts were expecting the Great Lakes 1986 high water level record to be replaced this summer, but Lake Huron and Lake Michigan don’t appear ready to break the big annual record this year thanks to recent drier-than-expected weather across the region. Read the full story by The Herald-Palladium.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200716-water-levels
Major restoration and rehabilitation of the historic Cleveland Dock Fishing Access Site in Cleveland is complete and the site is now open to the public after improvements were made for fishing access through restoration and stabilization. Read the full story by Oneida Daily Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-cleveland-dock-restoration
Michigan says a company that runs a dam near Comstock must try to contain sediment that’s pouring into the Kalamazoo River, in violation of environmental regulations. Silt has been streaming out of Morrow Lake since Eagle Creek Renewable Energy lowered the reservoir last year to make repairs on Morrow Dam. Read the full story by WMUK – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-morrow-dam
Put-in-Bay, a popular tourist destination on Lake Erie, is seeing more COVID-19 cases linked to the town; after large-scale testing over the weekend, 66 people from the Put-in-Bay area have tested positive. Read the full story by Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-covid-bay-tourism
Pennsylvania and Indiana led the return to camping in mid-May, and other states and provinces soon followed suit; the cascade of reopenings through the month of June has been followed by a flood of campers excited to get back outdoors. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-reopenings-outdoor
Wayne State University researcher partnered with Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research to test the ability of native water mites’ potential to control mosquitoes in two Detroit parks. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-mosquitoes-mites-control
Property owners in eastern Ontario are calling on their local and provincial governments for help handling an invasion of gypsy moth caterpillars; the red-and-blue-speckled caterpillars are an invasive species that can completely defoliate a tree, causing long-term damage. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-gypsy-moth-invasive
A ceremonial ribbon cutting was held Tuesday morning, marking the completion of a $6.2 million reconfiguration of Niagara Falls State Park’s welcome plaza improving mobility for pedestrians and access for vehicles making the park more mutually visible. Read the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-niagara-falls-plaza
Thirty-three years ago, water levels on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron reached their highest point at 582.35 feet above sea level. The two lakes don’t appear ready to break the big annual record this year thanks to recent drier-than-expected weather across the region. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200715-water-levels
Officials in Canada are investigating the head-on collision between two cargo ships in Ontario’s Welland Canal on Saturday. Read the full story by GCaptain.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-ship-collision
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has crafted a new plan to address double-crested cormorant conflicts. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-cormorant-management
A renewed focus on water quality emerged out of the 2014 drinking water crisis in Toledo, Ohio, leading to the creation of Smart Lake Erie. The project, led by the nonprofit Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) and various partners, has echoes of the Jefferson Project at Lake George in New York. Read the full story by SmartCitiesDive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-smart-lakes
Multiple environmental groups say a Canadian energy firm hasn’t provided enough information for state regulators to decide whether to grant waterway and wetlands permits for a proposed pipeline relocation project in northern Wisconsin. Read and listen to the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-pipeline+relocation
The Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation has donated $10,000 to Phastar Corp. for the marine safety program that works with students from Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-Cleveland-marine-safety
Six Water Quality Extension Associates are working in northwest Ohio through a three-year grant to provide services to farmers in the western Lake Erie basin. Read the full story by WKTN – Kenton, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-ohio-services
The Ohio Department of Health, in cooperation with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, regularly puts out a consumption advisory index for sport fish caught in Ohio waters. The experts say Lake Erie walleye, along with yellow perch, crappie, and sunfish caught in most Ohio waters, can be consumed safely twice a week. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-fish-consumption
A 1,000-foot ship loaded with iron ore pellets ran aground on the base of the Duluth Ship Canal’s north pier Monday morning in Duluth, Minnesota. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-duluth-canal
A new collaborative, the Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes, needs your help to keep invasive plants like Bell’s honeysuckle and Oriental bittersweet out of the Great Lakes region. Read and listen to the full story by Lakeshore Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200714-invasives
Effective on July 12th at 12 p.m., the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources at Presque Isle State Park will enforce a swimming restriction for Beach 11 due to the elevated Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria counts. Read the full story by WJET-TV- Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-presque-isle
Michigan boaters, swimmers and fisherman are expected to enjoy a prosperous year on Lake Erie, at least in terms of battling blue-green algae, after scientists recently predicted a moderate bloom of cyanobacteria in the waters this season. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-algal-bloom
Residents along the Lake Ontario shoreline have been on edge this time each year as they fear flooding from rising waters. However, that does not appear to be the case this year. Read the full story by WBEN- Newfane, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-Ontario-levels
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 96th annual Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race kicked off Saturday morning and made their way to the race’s starting point in Lake Huron. Read the full story by the Port Huron Times-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-sailboat-race
Surface temperatures on the Great Lakes have warmed to above average following a week-long stretch of hot weather. Surface temperatures on Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario range between 75 and 85 degrees. Read the full story by WDIV-TV- Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-surface-temps
The municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, has joined more than 80 communities from Ontario, Quebec and eight American states to seek billions of dollars in federal aid for shoreline and water infrastructure projects in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence regions. Read the full story by The Chatham Voice.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-shoreline-funding
Michigan taxpayers, business owners, and devastated homeowners shouldn’t bear the massive costs of cleaning up and rebuilding after floods caused by the failure of the Edenville Dam in May. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-mopping-midland
People submitted more than 300 names for the piping plover chicks hatched on Montrose Beach in Chicago, and the winners were revealed Saturday: Hazel, Esperanza and Nish. Read the full story by Block Club Chicago.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-piping-plover
Federal and local experts said Lakes Michigan and Huron may be at or near peak water levels before the seasonal drop is expected to begin later this month. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-water-levels
The International Join Commission’s Great Lakes Science Advisory Board is working to develop a unified early warning system to “get ahead of the curve” on what problems the lakes may face in coming years and decades. Read the full story by the Grand Forks Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200713-early-warning
While Lake Erie’s harmful algae bloom forecast for the rest of this summer looks much better than last year, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario are failing to meet agreed-upon milestones toward reducing nutrient loads in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-lake-erie-algae-bloom
Nestle might be selling its contentious Michigan bottled water brand, but water rights activists in the Great Lakes region aren’t so quick to let go of the issue. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-nestle
President Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for Michigan’s Midland County and the surrounding area after Gov. Whitmer sent a 50-page letter to the president requesting funds to help rebuild the region following multiple dam failures in mid-May. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-disaster-declaration
An artist and member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is being recognized for his work building traditional birchbark canoes. Read the full story by Post Crescent.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-ojibwe-artist
A court-ordered investigation on Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac found no indication of damage in the area of interest. However, a portion of the line remains shut down for federal investigation. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-line-5-pipeline
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently released their 2020 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, cataloging the health of the state’s water. Read the full story by Erie Reader.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-pennsylvania-water
An iconic highway on Michigan’s car-free Mackinac Island, M-185, is just one of many casualties of high Great Lakes water levels that have wreaked havoc on public and private infrastructure statewide. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-mackinac-island-iconic-highway
Algal blooms forecasted in Lake Erie are a cry for more work to be done to save the Great Lakes, environmental groups say. Read the full story by CTV – Windsor, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-environmental-groups
One of the greatest ships to sail the Great Lakes, the William A. Irvin, will re-open to for public tours in Duluth, Minnesota, for the first time in three years. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-william-a-irvin
Testing performed by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy revealed algal blooms in three Upper Peninsula lakes did not contain harmful toxins. Read the full story by WJMN – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200710-algal-bloom-health-advisory
While it has been dangerously hot, the heat has helped prevent Great Lakes water levels from rising. View the full story by WJBK-TV-Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-greatlakes-water-level
The Bay County Health Department is receiving $600,947 to address sources of E. coli in the Michigan Kawkawlin River watershed by identifying, mapping, and addressing failing septic systems. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-kawkawlin-ecoli-water-quality
Quagga mussels are invasive shellfish that arrived in Utah in the boats of privately-owned watercraft trailered from the Great Lakes; Sgt. Krystal Tucker with the Dept. of Wildlife Resources Aquatic Invasive Species Operations discusses their program involving boat inspections for the mussels at some of the larger lakes. Read and listen to the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-quagga-mussels
