Three Great Lakes freighters are headed for a very early layup this year and nearly 100 crew members and other personnel have been laid off after a shipping company announced it would idle some of its vessels due to an economic downturn. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-freighters
The bridge company has made inquiries to the Michigan’s transportation department on what it would take to allow trucks carrying flammable, chemical or corrosive materials to cross the four-lane Windsor-Detroit bridge across the Detroit River. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-hazardous-transport
A new study looked for PAHs in the sediments of 71 Great Lakes tributaries across six states. Results point to pollution sources coming from pavement dust from coal-tar sealed driveways and parking lots. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-pahs-pollution
Among the bills Whitmer signed into law include House Bills 4389 and 4390, which regulate the use and reporting of firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Read the full story by WKZO – TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-pfas
A pilot project with Ohio Department of Natural Resource staff is using inexpensive sensor technology used in everyday products such as dishwashers and cell phones to help monitor water quality to improve the health and safety of Lake Erie. Read the full story by Water World.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-algal-blooms-erie
In a model developed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, Bigheaded carp were shown as a big threat to yellow perch if bighead and silver carp made it into Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200709-bighead-carp
Beginning in 1993, officials from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission warned several times that the spillways of Edenville Dam in Michigan were not capable of passing floodwaters during the largest theoretically possible flooding event. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-edenville-dam
Along with the attorneys general of 13 other states and the District of Columbia, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition urging President Donald Trump to rescind an order that accelerates infrastructure projects without full environmental scrutiny. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-dana-nessel
U.S. Coast Guard units throughout the Great Lakes reported their busiest Independence Day weekend in at least five years, conducting more than 100 search-and-rescue cases and saving or assisting more than 300 people throughout the region. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-coast-guard
Several Great Lakes ships are being sidelined for the rest of the season due to COVID-19 pandemic-related declines in business.Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-shipping
Massive buildups of wipes and hygiene products congealed with greases and oils can cause significant damage to sewer systems and recently prompted the Public Works Commissioner in southeast Michigan’s Macomb County to file a suit in circuit court against nine different manufacturers of so-called flushable wipes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-flushable-wipes
The ecosystems of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are in fair condition, according to the 2019 State of the Great Lakes report released by the Governments of Canada and the United States. Read the full story by the Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-lake-huron
Multiple Michigan state agencies say they want to keep the public informed about what is going on with the Line 5 pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac, so they have launched a website designed to provide information on proposed pipeline projects. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-line-5
New research shows that climate change may make it easier for bighead and silver carp to grow and thrive in Lake Michigan if the invasive fish is introduced into the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-asian-carp
The Ohio Division of Wildlife recently proclaimed that Ohio’s portion of Lake Erie is the epicenter of the world’s largest population of walleye. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-lake-erie
The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department has issued a public health advisory for the Maumee River in downtown Toledo, Ohio, due to a recent harmful algal bloom. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200708-algal-bloom
The Soo Locks had to be shut down for more than five hours early Sunday after a 736-foot Canadian freighter lost power as it approached the system’s big Poe Lock, striking the west center pier. According to officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the impact damaged the freighter and the pier. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-soo-locks-shut-down
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory at The Ohio State University will hold a news conference on Thursday to provide their Lake Erie harmful algal bloom forecast. Read the full story by This Week Community News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-algal-bloom
Scientists have predicted that warmer, wetter and wilder weather is coming and that this will be one of the greatest environmental challenges of the 21st Century. These high water levels are putting a human face on climate change in our region. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-warmer-wetter-wilder-weather
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth have been monitoring frog song along the Great Lakes for a decade as part of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-frogs-and-wetland-health
A massive cleanup is underway in Wisconsin’s Sheboygan County after a freight train derailed and spilled tons of coal into the Black River. Read the full story by WISN-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-coal-spill
The executive director of A Greener Future plans to paddle from Kingston to Niagara-on-the-Lake during July to raise awareness about garbage in Lake Ontario. Read the full story by Belleville Intelligencer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-paddling-for-a-cause
The Invitational Mills Trophy Race, one of the most prestigious and history-laden sailing races on the Great Lakes, was officially canceled this week due to COVID-19. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-mills-race-cancelled
State officials say a boat that sunk last month must be removed from the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-boat-at-bay-bottom
Residents of Torch Lake in Michigan are volunteering their time to clean up after 4th of July partiers. Read the full story by WWUP-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-lake-clean-up
A Loyola University professor’s newest book looks at how lighthouses, navigational aids, and harbors transformed the Great Lakes and America. Read the full story by Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200707-lighthouse-harbor-book
Amid the ongoing summer heat, the Great Lakes are warming up faster than usual and predicted to rise several degrees in early July. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-temps
A Michigan judge Wednesday allowed Enbridge to resume pumping oil through the Line 5 pipeline in the Great Lakes. The pipeline was shut down for nearly a week after Enbridge reported damage to a structure anchoring the pipeline along the bottom of the lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-line-5
With renewed focus on the dangers of Line 5 to the Great Lakes, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces significant political, legal, and economic challenges as she works towards fulfilling her campaign promise to shut down the oil pipeline. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-whitmer
For the first time in 103 years, the Manitou Island Transit ferry service is not sailing to North and South Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan. High water levels caused unsafe and poor dockage on the islands, causing the company owners to cease operations for 2020. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-manitou-ferry
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program awarded more than $100,000 to support coastal management and restoration projects along the Lake Michigan coastline near Kenosha and Racine. Read the full story by the Kenosha News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-kenosha
NOAA is interested in extending the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary into part of the St. Lawrence River to protect two shipwrecks not currently covered within the boundary. Read the full story by North Country Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-st-lawrence-ships
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a reminder to residents avoid eating fish from the Huron River and avoid foam on Michigan lakes and rivers known to have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water. Read the full story by WEYI – TV – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-pfas
Michigan closed 11 beaches over contamination concerns linked to an unexplained spike in the bacteria count in the water of one inland lake beach, and possible toxic algal blooms in multiple spots in the Upper Peninsula. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-beaches
A new farm water management system installed in Monroe County, Michigan will help conserve water on the farm field and keep Lake Erie cleaner this summer. Read the full story by the Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-farm-management-system
Habitat managers at Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve in Ohio are fighting the spread of invasive phragmites and flower rush to ensure the park maintains its unique biodiversity of flora and fauna. Read the full story by The News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-mentor-marsh
Michigan has reviewed soil and sediment sample data collected in follow-up to the recent Midland and Saginaw area flooding event and are not recommending additional soil clean-up or management requirements beyond those already in place. Read the full story by WEYI – TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-midland-dam-soil
A legal battle has been brewing surrounding a Michigan couple seeking to protect their home from high waters and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, over “water’s edge” jurisdiction. Read the full story by UpNorthLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-high-water-edge
Island communities stay open and resilient for tourism amidst adjusting to a season with added precautions surrounding COVID-19. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-island-tourism-covid
A nuclear reactor along Lake Erie lost offsite power on Wednesday night as a result of a mayfly swarms, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read the full story by WOIO-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-nuclear-mayflies
Citing threats to the climate as well as the land, water and residents, dozens of people urged environmental regulators to prevent a Canadian company from rerouting an oil pipeline through northern Wisconsin. Read the full story by Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-wisconsin-line5
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team today announced it has awarded approximately $2.5 million in grant funding to municipal airport operators to support monitoring and testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-pfas-michigan
One of many abolitionist Great Lakes captains using their vessels to aid the Underground Railroad, James Nugent captain of the schooner Home, listed as an operator in “The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom,” aided runaways from Detroit to Canada; the wreck of Home can still be found in the waters of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by USA TODAY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-great-lakes-underground-railroad
Gov. Tony Evers announced $1.5 million in grants to both protect and improve Great Lakes resources across Wisconsin’s coastal communities through the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Read the full story by WSAW-TV – Wausau, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-coastal-communities
The House approved a $1.5 trillion plan Wednesday to rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into projects. The measure also would reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and protect access to safe drinking water by investing $25 billion in a state revolving fund. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-infrastructure
The first round of herbicide treatment to remove Invasive Eurasian watermilfoil in northwest Michigan’s Crystal Lake has been postponed to allow the watershed association to answer some questions raised about the treatment. Read the full story by Laredo Morning Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-watermilfoil
The International Joint Commission and the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board continue to regulate outflows at the Moses-Saunders dam according to Plan 2014 taking into account multiple different interests, including the homeowners on Lake Ontario, the shipping industry, the boating industry, hydro-electric power, drinking water quality, the environment, and others. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-water-levels
Parts of the Illinois Waterway will close for three months for major repairs to aging navigation infrastructure. The shutdowns will affect barge traffic through this major waterway, which carries more than 29 million tons of cargo each year — mainly agricultural and industrial products — and consists of rivers, lakes and canals that provide a shipping link between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. Read the full story by WEEK-TV – East Peoria, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-waterway
Twin Metals Minnesota announced it has received the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Notice of Intent to scope and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed copper-nickel-cobalt-platinum group metals mine in northeast Minnesota. Read the full story by The Ely Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-eis
A Michigan regulatory panel on Tuesday refused to grant quick permission to run a new oil pipeline beneath a channel that connects two of the Great Lakes, deciding instead to conduct a full review. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-pipeline
