The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announced that an agreement has been signed that will help them directly assist Detroit neighborhoods in fighting against flooding events expected during this upcoming spring and summer seasons. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200403-detroit-flooding
The Presque Isle Conservation District plans to restore fish and wildlife habitat at the Trout River Dam in Rogers Township, Michigan. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200403-trout-river-dam
The Essex Region Conservation Authority on Thursday issued long-term flood watch for the entire region. The flood watch includes all shorelines along Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and Detroit River. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200403-flood-watch
Lake Michigan buoys that operate off Port Sheldon and South Haven, Michigan were placed on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Read the full story by WHTC – Holland, MI
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200403-buoys
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Thursday announced that it has extended the public comment deadline for a plan on battling algal blooms in Lake Erie until June 19. Read the full story by Patch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200403-algal-blooms
The cruise ships that typically dock in Muskegon, Michigan, each summer have postponed some of their visits due to COVID-19, a sign that the region’s tourism industry may take a hard hit this summer. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-tourism
The portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway that includes the north country opened Wednesday morning. The section from Montreal to Lake Ontario opened eight days later than the Seaway’s Welland Canal section. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-seaway
Residents surrounding Lake Ontario feel that high water levels are due to IJC’s plan 2014, which allows for water levels in Lake Ontario to fluctuate. Read the full story by The Globe and Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-flooding
This week is a great week to reel in some walleye around Lake Erie, but also make sure to keep your social distance while doing so. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-walleye
Michigan farms are prohibited from applying animal waste as cropland fertilizer in winter unless the farms meet certain conditions under a new general permit for factory-sized agribusiness operations. The new restriction is intended to prevent nutrients from entering waterways. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-manure
Ontario’s Port of Thunder Bay is anticipating a very strong month with increasing demand and a backlog of grain waiting to be shipped. Read the full story by Thunder Bay News Watch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-grain-shipping
The Essex Region Conservation Authority announced on Wednesday an indefinite flood watch for all of shoreline areas within Ontario’s Essex region, including Pelee Island. Read the full story by CBC Canada.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-Essex-flooding
New research has suggested that water levels in the Northwoods lakes of Wisconsin and even the Great Lakes can predict the mercury level in fish. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200402-mercury
$4.5 million is on the way to help clean up contaminated sediment in Duluth’s St. Louis River. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed the agreement to help what’s known as an “Area of Concern” on Lake Superior. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-aoc
In 1961, there were only 52 breeding pairs of bald eagles in Michigan, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says that number has swelled to about 800 nesting pairs. Read the full story by the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-eagles
A comprehensive study on Ontario’s Oshawa Creek, a tributary to Lake Ontario, places the value of the water body and its surrounding areas at approximately $400 million. Read the full story by The Oshawa Express.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-oshawa
The shipping season on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River is getting underway nearly two weeks later than industry stakeholders had hoped. The extra time was used by the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board to reduce water levels in the system in order to mitigate the chance of flooding later this year. Read the full story by WRVO – Oswego, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-levels
Though Put-in-Bay’s annual tourist season really doesn’t get going until Memorial Day, this is usually a time for soft openings, recruiting employees, and getting warmed up for summer. However, with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order still in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, Put-in-Bay is emptier than it is during normal off-season days. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-islanders
Drinking water fountains and taps at public and private schools in Indiana will be required to be tested for lead contamination by 2023 under a new state law. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-lead
Arctic grayling, a fish known for its sail-like dorsal fin that died out in Michigan in the 1930s, could be making a comeback in Michigan. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-grayling
As the cruise industry navigates the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Great Lakes cruises have a slight advantage over their larger competitors, as their cruising seasons start much later in the summer. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-cruises
With Great Lakes shipping season kicking off last week, American and foreign freighters are expected to transport cargo throughout the more than 100 ports of call in the region, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and industry leaders. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-shipping
Lakes Michigan and Huron rose past their combined long-term historical average in July 2014 and have remained above that baseline ever since. A new interactive map shows a decade of water height data to put context to water level changes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200401-fluctuations
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
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan took strong steps today to ensure at-risk households have access to clean water for hand washing and sanitation through an executive order requiring the reconnection of service to residences that have had water service shut off. Read the full story by WILX-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-water-reconnections
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) posted a public advisory at Edgewater Beach in Cleveland Sunday after raw sewage spilled into Lake Erie due to heavy overnight storms. Read the full story by Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-raw-sewage
Leaders of several communities along Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline are calling on Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a state of emergency and help with funding to fight erosion as near-record high water levels continue sweeping away beaches important to tourism. Read the full story by Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-indiana-erosion+
With coronavirus upending the nation’s economy this spring, towns along Michigan’s shore say they’ve still got more to lose when the crisis ends. Any look toward recovery this summer comes with the threat that record-setting water levels are likely to continue, bringing more erosion and more damage. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-surviving-high-water
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ weekly report released Friday showed Lake Michigan has risen 1 inch over the past week and is now 5 inches above the March record set in 1986. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-michigan-water-rising
April 1 is opening day of trout season and staff at the Randolph (NY) Fish Hatchery plan to finish earlier than usual this year because, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the New York DEC has given them a directive to empty the hatchery as soon as possible. Read the full story by Olean Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-trout-stocking
Ohio wildlife officials are keeping a close eye on fishermen, with Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home mandate allowing them to go fishing if they avoid other anglers and maintain strict social distancing. Read the full story by Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-lake-erie-fishing
Resorts in Cook County, Minnesota are holding “virtual vacations” on their website and social media feeds. They’ll be streaming footage of Lake Superior and other popular tourist spots like Two Harbors, Canal Park and some state parks. Read the full story by KARE-TV – Two Harbors, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-virtual-vacation
While schools and non-essential businesses are all closed to some extent by various governors’ orders due to COVID-19, the outdoors is still open and early spring fishing is a great way to get out of the house and grab some fun, fresh air and of course some fish. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-fishing
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is prohibiting the largest livestock operations from spreading manure on croplands during the first three months of the year, a measure which is intended to prevent manure from flowing into waterways. Read the full story by Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200330-spreading-manure
Across Michigan, government leaders, elected officials and emergency managers are nervous, too. They’re looking at ongoing record or higher than average Great Lakes levels, knowing that the next two months will be pivotal for flooding risks and erosion damage. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200327-high-water
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has shut down the city’s lakefront trails and parks, the popular 606 trail and downtown’s Riverwalk “until further notice,” warning the spread of coronavirus at the crowded spaces was putting the city in danger. Read the full story by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200327-chicago
The Blue Water Bridge will no longer accept cash transactions from any travelers to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Customers who attempt to pay with cash will be prohibited from crossing. To further reduce the risk of transmission, MDOT is asking commuters to use hand sanitizer before providing their cards to the toll collectors. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200327-border
The Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission set its lakewide Total Allowable Catch (TAC) on Thursday for Ohio and the other state and provincial members of the Lake Erie Committee. The walleye TAC is a 20% boost over last year’s 8.5 million fish, which was a 20% increase from the 7.1 million walleye in 2018. Read the full story by Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200327-walleye
Michigan DNR chief of parks and recreation Ron Olson said there has been an increase of fishers in a time where unemployment claims have surged. If fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts do not follow social distancing protocols, restrictions could be implemented. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200327-dnr
According to the Toledo Lucas County Port Authority, when it comes to the inspection of cargo ships, the crew will now be checked out as well as the cargo. Agencies like the Coast Guard and Customs will be making sure the crew is healthy, and in some cases the crew may not be able to disembark from the freighter. Read and view the full story by WTVG TV – Toledo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200327-toledo
The International Joint Commission is hosting a webinar on high water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River on April 3rd, 2020. Canadian Co-Chair Pierre Béland and U.S. Co-Chair Jane Corwin will host the event, with a French language webinar taking place at 9:30am (EDT) and the English language webinar being held at noon (EDT). Read the full story by the Kingston Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200327-ijc
