In a case described as the “clean water case of the century,” the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Water Act applies to pollutants reaching legally protected waters indirectly through groundwater. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-scotus-cwa
Coal was once the primary commodity shipped from the Port of Duluth-Superior, but coal shipping has declined as the demand for coal has dropped throughout the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-energy-port
Shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway opened on April 1, so the Windsor Port Authority issued a message Wednesday that it remains fully open for business and fulfilling its vital role during ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Read the full story by Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-climate-change
Concerns about possible exposure to the coronavirus through aerosolized wastewater have prompted some treatment facilities in Michigan to ask state regulators to relax some routine testing requirements until the potential danger passes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-sewage
The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, distributed thousands of sandbags to residents at risk of flood damage as the Fox River and Lake Michigan reach record-high water levels. Read the full story by WBAY–TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-green-bay
City officials in South Haven, Michigan, say repairs to their marina due to historically high water levels are more expensive than expected, but necessary to protect critical infrastructure. Read the full story by WKZO – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-south-haven
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission has approved its 2020 Lake Erie Protection and Restoration Plan to address priorities including nutrient pollution reduction, invasive species, and habitat restoration. Read the full story by WNVO–TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-ohio-lake-erie-commission
Lake Ontario’s water level is below record levels observed last year, but remains above average levels, thanks primarily to favorable weather conditions this spring. Read the full story by WWNY–TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200424-lake-ontario
Shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway opened on April 1, so the Windsor Port Authority issued a message Wednesday that it remains fully open for business and fulfilling its vital role during ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Read the full story by Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200423-port-authority
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
This year’s Earth Day is a special one, and not just because it’s the 50th anniversary of the event. The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t entirely stopped festivities being organized for April 22, and numerous organizations have arranged for ways people can engage with Earth Day without compromising safety. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-earth-day-participation
The Environmental Protection Agency recently signed a $2.5 million agreement to clean Michigan’s Detroit River and create new habitat for wildlife. The money will be used to clean contaminated river sediments and create homes for fish and wildlife in a cove area at a park being built along Detroit’s waterfront. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-detroit-riverfront
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announced recently that Lakes Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie set new monthly mean water level records for March 2020, which were previously set in 1986. Read the full story by the Harbor Light.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-new-monthly-water-level
An MLive series explores coal-ash management in Michigan and what happens when the ash, a form of industrial waste known to contain toxins, escapes into the environment. The series also discusses how Michigan’s major utility companies plan to deal with the waste once they no longer have power plants at those locations. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-coal-ash-landfills
Traverse City-based nonprofit Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) received $200,000 in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support Wild Roots, a mass reforestation pilot-program aimed at restoring northern Michigan’s native forests with 100,000 trees and shrubs over five years. Read the full story by The Ticker.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-glri-grant-award
Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has announced that park officials are delaying the seasonal opening of many park facilities and services until July 1 on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-park-delays-opening
Tall waves hit Lake Michigan piers Tuesday during a gale warning. Waves ranging from 6 to 8 feet tall battered the Lake Michigan shoreline from Holland to Muskegon in Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-lake-michigan-gale-warning
A committee is being put together by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Ninth District headquartered in Cleveland to explore whether another vessel is needed to help with ice breaking in the Great Lakes. The process is expected to take at least a couple of years. Read the full story by Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-cheboygan-ice-breaker
At a Flint, Michigan City Council committee meeting today, Flint’s mayor will ask the council to reconsider a delay in moving forward with the construction of a secondary water system. Read the full story by WSMH-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-flint-city-council
The Joliet City Council in Illinois approved a $3.5 million engineering contract for the Lake Michigan water project even as it cuts elsewhere to prepare for a collapse in revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story by The Herald-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200422-joliet-water-project
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
President Donald Trump’s administration has scaled back enforcement of environmental regulations in the Great Lakes region — and it’s having a noticeable, negative impact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s own data. Read the full story by The Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-great-lakes-pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has signed a $2.9 million agreement to remediate contaminated sediment along Detroit, Michigan’s east riverfront. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-detroit-river
A $400,000 federal grant for green infrastructure projects was awarded to Elk Rapids, Michigan, a small village along the Lake Michigan shoreline near Traverse City. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-green-infrastructure
Now that winter is over, freighters are fanning out around the Great Lakes. But much has changed since the Soo Locks closed. Read the full story by The Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-freighters
Birds flocked around Minnesota’s Interstate Island while construction workers distributed dirt around the island on Wednesday, April 15, in an effort to double the size of the island and expand the dwindling nesting sites of the common tern. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-tern-nesting
Rep. Brian Higgins (N.Y.-26) announced on Monday that the Smith Boys Shipyard in North Tonawanda, New York will receive a federal grant worth over $300,000. Read the full story by WKBW – TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-shipyard
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ weekly report released Friday shows Lake Michigan is four inches above the April record set in 1986. Read the full story by WOOD – TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-lake-michigan
A series of projects on Wisconsin’s Menominee River, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, have enhanced fish passage, added fish and wildlife habitat and helped reconnect its upstream tributaries with Lake Michigan. Read the full story by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-menomonee
A coalition of watchdog groups have filed a formal petition to stop Fermi 2 nuclear reactor in Michigan from further operations, claiming long-required repair work needs to be fully completed in order to avoid a potential “major nuclear accident.” Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200420-nuclear
The cancellation of outreach programs and academic conferences is a blow to education and research collaboration in the Great Lakes. COVID-19 has also left scientists uncertain about conducting summer research on the Great Lakes this year. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-research
High water levels last summer couldn’t knock the west side Port Dalhousie, Ontario piers off their completion schedule, but the coronavirus can. Rehabilitation of the piers on Lake Ontario is temporarily shut down due to the province’s COVID-19 state of emergency restrictions on construction projects. Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-port-dalhousie
The Common Council of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, approved funding to construct a new drinking water intake in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Sheboygan Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200417-infx-bond
