Drinking Water

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/04/07/u-s-epa-announces-action-on-microplastics-but-michigan-critics-say-its-not-enough/

Michigan Public

Can replacing Illinois’ toxic lead pipes lead to a workforce boom?

On: March 30, 2026

In: Drinking Water, Featured, Illinois, Industry, Energy, Economic Development

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WBEZ and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

Illinois is in the midst of a public health crisis. Nearly 1.5 million service lines — the pipes that carry drinking water to homes and businesses — contain or are suspected to contain lead, a neurotoxin linked to cognitive, reproductive and cardiovascular problems.

Now, public health and workforce advocates want to turn the state’s long-overdue pipe replacement backlog into a statewide economic engine, creating up to 90,000 jobs over a decade.

A recent report proposes a plan to replace the state’s staggering inventory of toxic lead pipes and create tens of thousands of jobs. To do so, the analysis calls on state and local officials to fast-track pipe replacements for communities that have suffered from the most lead exposure and to use the projects to build a more diverse local workforce. It also urges the Illinois General Assembly to help plug a multibillion-dollar budget gap for lead pipe replacements.

“The longer we put off taking care of our water infrastructure, the more expensive it’s going to get, the more that we’re going to be looking at water rates increasing to deal with that, and the more people are going to be in the position where they’re not going to have access to safe and clean drinking water,” said Justin Williams, a senior manager at the Metropolitan Planning Council, one of the policy think tanks that helped develop the plan. “And that’s not a situation we should be in as a state or region.”

Several other regional and national nonprofits also worked on the analysis, including Current, a water solutions hub; Elevate, an organization working on water and energy affordability issues; and HIRE360, a workforce development group.

Illinois has the most lead pipes in the country. The state estimates it has 667,000 known lead service lines and another 820,000 suspected lines. Chicago alone accounts for nearly 30 percent of those pipes.

Replacing these service lines is expensive. In a 2022 report, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency found that a single service line replacement can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $13,000 across the state. In Chicago, the price tag is even higher: City officials estimated that replacements cost more than $30,000 per line on average.

State officials have estimated that replacing all the known or suspected lead pipes across Illinois could cost between $6 billion and $10 billion. The Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, set aside $15 billion over five years to help states replace lead pipes. Illinois is estimated to receive about $1 billion, but given the state’s unique needs, that number “is probably on the low side,” Williams said.

The report makes the case that state lawmakers must approve dedicated, sustained and predictable funding to close the multibillion-dollar shortfall. Without long-term guarantees, replacements will likely remain inefficient and delayed.

“It’s a bit of a chicken and egg: Unless you know how much money is going to be allocated to this — how many opportunities are coming down the pipe — they’re not going to add additional people to apprenticeship programs,” said Jay Rowell, executive director at HIRE360.

Using workforce projections from the American Water Works Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the report’s authors calculated that already allocated federal funds could generate approximately 2,000 direct jobs and 9,000 indirect jobs. If legislatures closed the multibillion-dollar funding gap, those figures could jump substantially to 35,000 direct jobs and 55,000 indirect jobs — a total of 90,000 jobs over a decade.

“We’re calling attention not only to the problem, but also to some of the opportunities to get more candidates engaged in apprenticeships,” Rowell said. “This is a really big problem that needs very thoughtful, state-led solutions.”

A major pillar of the report is diversifying the building trades. An analysis of Chicago’s workforce found that only 3.8% of registered apprentices are women and just 10% are Black. To bridge this gap, the report advocates for requiring utilities and municipalities to include diversity and equity requirements in project contracts.

The report’s authors argue that Illinois has the rare opportunity to tackle two challenges at once: address its toxic legacy while laying the groundwork for a more inclusive economy. The financial and political hurdles remain high, but advocates say the cost of inaction is higher.

“We are the envy of the world in terms of our access to fresh drinking water,” Williams said. “We need to be really thoughtful stewards of that, and that means investing in that the same way we invest in other infrastructure.”

The post Can replacing Illinois’ toxic lead pipes lead to a workforce boom? appeared first on Great Lakes Now.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/03/30/can-replacing-illinois-toxic-lead-pipes-lead-to-a-workforce-boom/

WBEZ

Webinar: Data Center Playbook: Protecting water and understanding the impact of data center development

On: March 24, 2026

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, invasive species, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Water use from data centers is increasing across the Great Lakes region. To help make sense of the impacts, we released a new guide for residents, grassroots organizations, and local leaders seeking clear, accessible information. Join our experts to learn about the guide, the latest on data center development in the Great Lakes, the questions communities need to ask data center developers, and more.

Panelists:

Addison Caruso, Staff Attorney, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Service
Andrea Densham, Director of Regional Government Affairs, Alliance for the Great Lakes
Harshini Ratnayaka, Manager of Government Affairs and Policy, Save the Dunes
Helena Volzer, Senior Source Water Policy Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes
Moderated by Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes

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The post Webinar: Data Center Playbook: Protecting water and understanding the impact of data center development appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2026/03/webinar-data-center-playbook-protecting-water-and-understanding-the-impact-of-data-center-development/

What the State of the Great Lakes Report Tells Us About Our Future

On: March 20, 2026

In: Agricultural runoff, Climate change in the Great Lakes, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Maria Iturbide-Chang, Director of Water Resources

Last month, I had the opportunity to participate in discussions around the release of the State of the Great Lakes (SOGL) Report. Sitting alongside scientists, federal agency representatives, community members, and regional partners at the Great Lakes Public Forum, I was reminded of something fundamental: the Great Lakes are resilient, but they are not invincible.

The State of the Great Lakes Report 2025 is a collaborative binational assessment by the United States and Canada under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), which paints a picture of progress and persistent challenges for the water that sustains us, our communities, and our economies.

The report provides a valuable binational snapshot of ecosystem health and highlights important gains. It also reveals persistent gaps and, perhaps most importantly, raises questions about whether we are prepared for what lies ahead.

Trends in Great Lakes Indicators

Across the Great Lakes Basin, the report shows that the Great Lakes continue to be an excellent source of drinking water and that beaches remain safe for swimming and recreation throughout much of the season, affirming their immense value as natural resources for millions of people. But this progress did not happen by accident. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) has been one of the most effective federal investments in freshwater protection, accelerating cleanup in long-polluted Areas of Concern (AOC) and restoring habitat across the region.

Through coordinated and collaborative efforts, GLRI funding has supported contaminated sediment removal, wetland and shoreline restoration, and long-term monitoring that delivers measurable community and ecological benefits. The delisting of Muskegon Lake stands as a powerful example of what sustained commitment can achieve, transforming a once-degraded water body into a restored ecosystem that supports recreation, local economy, and wildlife vitality. As the Alliance advocates for GLRI reauthorization in 2026, these successes demonstrate that when we invest in science-based restoration and strong partnerships, we protect drinking water, strengthen communities, and move the Great Lakes from recovery toward long-term resilience.

Overall assessment: largely “fair” and “unchanging”

The overall assessment remains largely “fair” and “unchanging.” That tells a nuanced story. Some long-term efforts are working. Legacy toxic chemicals continue to decline in many areas. Certain habitat restoration initiatives have delivered measurable ecological improvements. New introductions of invasive species have slowed compared with previous decades.

But other trends are troubling. Nutrient pollution continues to drive harmful algal blooms, particularly in Lake Erie, threatening drinking water supplies, public health, fisheries, and local economies. What is especially concerning is that this pattern persists despite more than a decade of significant investment in voluntary best management practices. While voluntary programs have generated important partnerships and localized improvements, basin-wide nutrient reductions have not occurred at the scale or speed required to meet water quality targets. This reality reinforces the need for stronger, enforceable standards and accountability mechanisms alongside continued technical and financial support that is adapted and directed at incentivizing the practices that work best. If we are serious about protecting the Great Lakes, nutrient pollution must be addressed not only through incentives, but through clear regulatory frameworks that ensure measurable, basin-wide reductions.

Climate change

Climate change, now referred to as climate trends in the report, is amplifying hydrological extremes. Shoreline erosion, warming waters, drought periods, and habitat shifts are accelerating. Invasive species already established in the basin continue to reshape food webs. At the same time, real progress is being made through renewable energy investments, climate adaptation planning, wetland restoration, green infrastructure, and regional collaboration under frameworks like the Great Lakes Compact and GLRI. Yet this progress remains uneven and fragile, as climate impacts often outpace policy responses and funding stability, underscoring the need for sustained, science-based, and climate resilient water management across the basin.

More focus needed on wetlands

One area that deserves greater urgency and attention is wetlands. Wetlands are natural infrastructure. They filter pollutants, recharge groundwater, buffer floods, stabilize shorelines, and provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife. While the report recognizes habitat conditions, it does not fully capture the accelerating pressures on coastal and inland wetlands, including development, shoreline hardening, hydrologic alteration, and climate-driven water level fluctuations. At the same time, the likelihood that federal wetland protections will be weakened under ongoing changes to the Water of the United States (WOTUS) rule makes this moment even more consequential. As the scope of federal jurisdiction is reduced, wetlands that lack continuous surface connections, especially isolated and headwater wetlands, are increasingly excluded from Clean Water Act protection. This reality means states across the Great Lakes basin must step up to fill emerging regulatory gaps.

As we face more intense storms and fluctuating lake levels, wetlands are among our most effective and cost-efficient climate adaptation tools. Protecting and restoring them cannot remain optional or secondary. It must be central to the region’s next phase of action through science-based stronger-state level protections, clear regulatory standards, and sustained restoration investment.

Weakening science capacity and reducing staff

Strong science underpins sound water policy. Monitoring networks across the basin, tracking nutrients, contaminants, water levels, and ecosystem indicators, allow us to identify emerging threats and respond early. But monitoring capacity is only as strong as the institutions that support it. We are increasingly concerned about constraints on federal and state agency resources, threats to regulatory authorities, and reductions in scientific staffing. For example, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) experienced significant staffing reductions in 2025, with independent reporting indicating that the laboratory has lost roughly 35% of its approximately 48 person workforce as key scientists, communication staff, and probationary employees were dismissed or left under pressure from federal hiring freezes. This loss has created serious gaps in harmful algal bloom monitoring and other core research functions. If scientific capacity erodes, early warning systems weaken. And when early warning systems weaken, communities pay the price.

The emerging threat of microplastics

The report provides a comprehensive overview of many indicators, but some emerging threats deserve deeper integration. Microplastics are now widespread across the basin, from open waters to drinking water sources. PFAS and other emerging contaminants pose long-term threats to public health, wildlife, and fisheries. While these issues are acknowledged in broader research discussions, they are not yet fully integrated into basin-wide condition assessments to the extent warranted. We cannot manage what we do not comprehensively measure.

Water infrastructure

Another critical dimension is water infrastructure. Although the report does not focus on these aspects of water quality, aging drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems shape water quality outcomes every day. Combined sewer overflows, failing pipes, and inequitable access to safe water and sewer service remain pressing challenges, impacting human health and well-being along with ecosystem health. Properly scoped, designed and implemented, water and sewer infrastructure is environmental protection, as well as public health protection and climate resilience.

Without sustained investment, equitable prioritization of infrastructure projects and equitable funding mechanisms, progress on ecosystem and human health will be limited.

How This Connects to the Alliance’s Work

At the Alliance for the Great Lakes, our work intersects directly with the trends identified in the SOGL report:

The Alliance works to ensure sustainable water use across the basin by promoting and informing policies that protect Great Lakes water from excessive withdrawals and reduce the need for diversions to support large water users, such as data centers. For example, the Alliance engages in constant public, administrative agency, and lawmaker education regarding sustainable water management, coordinates and informs policy recommendations with in-state partners, participates in forums that promote water recycling and reuse, and is producing a forthcoming playbook for communities facing large water use proposals.

The Alliance works to advance our belief that the Great Lakes are both a shared treasure and a shared responsibility. We work across the region to advance strong, science-based policies that protect water quality and quantity, prevent pollution, and promote sustainable use. For example, Alliance staff and partners met with Ohio lawmakers to provide education regarding solutions for safe and affordable water. The Alliance highlighted the need to address agricultural pollution, strengthen programs like H2Ohio, and accelerate lead service line replacement to protect public health and the Great Lakes. By engaging policymakers, community leaders, scientists, and advocates, we help ensure that decisions today safeguard clean, affordable, and resilient water resources for future generations.

The Alliance is tracking emerging contaminants and elevating the issue of plastic pollution, which is now widespread throughout the Great Lakes, sediments, and even drinking water sources. We advocate for stronger federal and state policies to reduce plastic pollution at its source, including measures to prevent industrial plastic pellet spills, reduce microfiber release, and limit single-use- plastics. Through partnerships with scientists, utilities, and community organizations, the Alliance advances prevention, public education, and infrastructure solutions to keep plastics out of the Great Lakes.

The Alliance is actively engaged in federal policy efforts aimed at expanding and improving water infrastructure funding to meet the basin’s needs. The Alliance advocates for Congress to fully fund water infrastructure programs and target resources to communities with the greatest needs, especially those historically underserved or grappling with affordability, lead service lines, aging systems, or failing wastewater plants. Our 2026 Federal Priorities include pressing for significant increases in water infrastructure investment and ensuring these funds are distributed equitably.

At the Alliance, strengthening the science to policy engine is central to our mission. We work to ensure that the best available data, from water monitoring, emerging contaminant research, nutrient loading trends, and water use analysis, directly informs policy at the state and federal levels. That means translating complex science into clear policy recommendations, advocating and making the case for enforceable standards where voluntary approaches fall short, and defending the institutional capacity of administrative agencies responsible for protecting our water. By connecting research, regulatory frameworks, and community priorities, the Alliance helps move science out of reports and into real-world protections that safeguard drinking water, ecosystems and the long-term resilience of the Great Lakes

Looking forward

The report affirms that these priorities are not abstract. They are essential to the region’s stability. Perhaps the most important question is not where we stand today, but whether the region is positioned to meet the next three years of challenges.

Although SOGL no longer uses the terminology of climate change, we know that changes in physical conditions (as it is now described) are increasing. Development pressures continue. Industrial water demand is growing. Emerging contaminants are expanding faster than regulatory frameworks. If scientific capacity is weakened, if regulatory authorities are constrained, or if environmental protections are rolled back, the progress documented in the report could stall or reverse. The Great Lakes require consistent stewardship, not episodic attention.

Participating in the State of the Great Lakes discussions reinforced both my optimism and my urgency. The Great Lakes Basin has a strong foundation of binational cooperation. Decades of cleanup efforts have delivered measurable results. Community leadership is rising. But resilience is not automatic. It must be built through science, policy, infrastructure, and public engagement. The Great Lakes are resilient waters. Our institutions must be just as resilient. The work ahead demands that we act with ambition recognizing that protecting the largest freshwater system on Earth is not a one-time achievement but a continuous responsibility.

Protect the Great Lakes

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The post What the State of the Great Lakes Report Tells Us About Our Future appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2026/03/what-the-state-of-the-great-lakes-report-tells-us-about-our-future/

Updated Report: Advocates Creating Momentum for Water and Wastewater Investment in the Great Lakes and Beyond

On: March 14, 2026

In: Combined sewer overflows, Drinking Water, Lead service lines

The State Revolving Fund (SRF) Advocates Forum (Forum) brings together over 200 community leaders from across the country – including many in Great Lakes states – advocating for critical water infrastructure funding needs to replace lead service lines, upgrade storm sewer systems that flood during storms, and address emerging contaminants like PFAS. The forum is organized by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, River Network, and the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC).

Read the 2025 SRF Advocates Engagement Report.

Each year, the Forum asks the membership about their advocacy strategies, successes, and lessons learned, comparing feedback from surveys and one-on-one interviews. These valuable insights are summarized in our newly released second annual SRF Advocates Engagement Report (the first, 2021-2024 report is available here), including examples from Great Lakes Forum members’ advocacy engaged state policymakers to direct more SRF funding to communities with the highest need.

SRFs are a significant funding source for local governments and utilities to finance critical water infrastructure projects. SRFs combine state and federal funds to provide low-interest loans for projects that otherwise might not happen – including principal forgiveness or zero-interest loans for communities most in need. Each state administers its own program, so no two states’ priorities and rules for accessing financing and funding are identical. The SRF Forum helps leaders navigate the patchwork of state SRF rules and advocate for ways to make them easier to find, easier to understand, and ultimately provide clean and safe drinking water and necessary wastewater and stormwater services for residents.

These reports are written first and foremost for other water advocates, with peer-based insights and real-world examples they can use to support their own accountability and policy reform efforts to improve state SRF programs. The report also uplifts the important work of advocates serving your communities to improve access to clean, safe, and affordable water services. For more background on the SRFs and the topics discussed in the report, check out our “Reading List” deep dive, SRF Glossary of terms, topical factsheets, and Resource Bank.

Working Together Works – Coalitions are Essential

In the latest report, coalition-based advocacy remains a central strategy for successful SRF advocacy. In 2025, 80% of survey respondents said partnering with organizations was an effective strategy for advocacy, and 75% of in-depth interview participants described coalitions as essential for sustaining advocacy efforts. Over three survey periods, the number of organizations represented by our survey has increased (shown in yellow below). In fact, our 2025 survey represented a large number of organizations working together in coalitions, even with fewer surveys submitted, over a shorter period of time.

This strategy is working in the Great Lakes region. Coalition building helped Milwaukee Water Commons (MWC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, strengthen its advocacy and amplify the urgency of policy changes statewide, rooted in community needs. According to MWC, being in coalition with other organizations across the state strengthened direct engagement with utilities and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The strategy contributed to wins such as improving the state’s definition of disadvantaged communities (DACs) and increasing the amount of principal forgiveness utilities and municipalities could get for lead service line replacement projects in areas with a high burden of lines to replace.

We Should Know Where the Money Goes

Transparency is critical to understanding if state SRF policies and funding decisions are leaving some communities behind. Advocates – including in Michigan – asked state administrators to share data in publicly accessible dashboards showing award decisions, which projects were passed over during a funding year, and the share of investments reaching state-defined disadvantaged communities. We the People of Detroit, an advocacy organization based in Detroit, Michigan, noted that the absence of post-award reporting makes it difficult to determine whether investments are reaching the communities that need them most. Sharing data would strengthen public trust in program decisions, which is why advocates emphasized transparency to state administrators, at meetings, and in public comments.

Sustaining the SRFs is a Long-Term Mission

In addition to ensuring the U.S. Congress appropriates federal funds for the SRFs each year, advocates recognize that sustaining the health of the largest federal water infrastructure funding program requires long-term, dedicated advocacy. Many advocates emphasized the need to safeguard and strengthen these programs. Others also recognize the need for states to invest in water infrastructure – pairing their SRF advocacy with state legislative outreach to ensure funding stability.

Why Supporting the Forum and Advocates Matters

The Forum provides a unique space for advocates to share stories, build relationships, and foster coalitions supporting more equitable water investments in communities like yours. Survey respondents made clear why the Forum’s community of practice is important to building and sustaining advocacy:

If you are interested in engaging with state SRF administrators on your state’s policies, we have resources for you! If you are an advocate interested in SRF policy reform, please join our community of practice. Become a member today.

To learn more about the SRF Advocates Forum, visit the website.

Tell Congress: Fund water infrastructure and SRFs

In 2026, essential drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure programs including State Revolving Funds must be reauthorized and funded, with priority given to the communities most in need. Tell Congress: Fund infrastructure and protect the Great Lakes.

Contact Congress

The post Updated Report: Advocates Creating Momentum for Water and Wastewater Investment in the Great Lakes and Beyond appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2026/03/updated-report-advocates-creating-momentum-for-water-and-wastewater-investment-in-the-great-lakes-and-beyond/

Webinar: Washington Update: Protecting the Great Lakes and Looking Ahead to 2026

On: February 25, 2026

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, invasive species, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

When it comes to our Great Lakes priorities, how are our representatives in Washington doing and where should they focus their efforts in 2026? Thanks to Great Lakes advocates like you, Congress recently passed legislation that rejected steep cuts and instead protected funding for programs critical to the health of our lakes and the people who depend on them. At the same time, the Great Lakes enter 2026 with a reduced federal presence due to program pullbacks and staff reductions. Our just-released federal priorities lay out a 2026 agenda for decision makers. Hear from our team and ask your questions about the Great Lakes and Washington.

Featuring:

Joel Brammeier, President and CEO
Megan Cunningham, Vice President for Programs
Moderated by Tom Fazzini, Communications Director

Protect the Great Lakes

Your contribution supports advocacy that protects the Great Lakes today and far into the future.

Give a gift today

The post Webinar: Washington Update: Protecting the Great Lakes and Looking Ahead to 2026 appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2026/02/webinar-washington-update-protecting-the-great-lakes-and-looking-ahead-to-2026/

Data Center bills in the Wisconsin State Legislature

On: February 18, 2026

In: data centers, Drinking Water, groundwater, PFAS

Data Center bills in the Wisconsin State Legislature

On February 17, 2026 the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Utilities, Technology, and Tourism held a hearing on data center development bills. River Alliance’s Agriculture and Policy Director Mike Tiboris attended the hearing and submitted the following testimony on why our state should pause new data center construction until our leaders fully understand the implications of how industries with extreme energy and water demands will have on our resources.

Chair Bradley and the members of the Committee on Utilities, Technology, and Tourism:

Thank you for holding this hearing for several bills on the emerging issues related to data center development in Wisconsin. River Alliance of Wisconsin has registered neutral on SB 729 and opposed on both SB 843 and AB 840 as written. River Alliance is a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization that empowers people to protect and restore Wisconsin’s waters at a local level. The organization’s supporters include more than 5,000 individuals and businesses and nearly a hundred local watershed organizations.

All of these bills recognize that we must thoughtfully confront the sudden construction pressure from a rapidly evolving technology. Our concern is that we do not allow Wisconsin’s water, among our most valuable public assets, to be mortgaged for unproven benefits and without adequate protection. A medium-sized data center consumes as much water as 1000 households per year for cooling (110 million gallons). Rapid and improperly regulated data center construction poses a potentially serious threat to our natural water resources. The benefits to Wisconsin of data center construction are unproven, but the hazards to our water are quite clear. Data centers directly use water to cool servers that generate heat either through evaporative cooling or through the addition of contaminants that can be discharged in wastewater and enter the environment. Further, these facilities may invite the construction of new hydropower facilities on already taxed river systems and cause aging, outdated, facilities to stay online. Often touted as “green”, hydropower operations can cause myriad negative environmental impacts, from preventing fish migrations to reducing water quality and water quantity at critical times of the year, affecting aquatic life and recreation.

Our preference in this moment of uncertainty would be to pause all new data center construction until we can develop appropriate legislative mechanisms for managing its downsides. Legislators’ recently proposed moratorium on data center construction should be used to give the Legislature time to create thoughtful controls that ensure new data centers actually benefit Wisconsinites and do not cause problems we could avoid if we took the time to prepare for them. Our abundant natural water and land resources are an obvious attraction for companies that want to build projects in Wisconsin, but we should be very careful to make sure the benefits are not simply handed to companies to export from the state for their own profit at the cost of damage to an irreplaceable public good and, at best, uncertain employment or tax benefits.

SB 729

River Alliance has registered neutral on SB 729. We are supportive of the bill’s emphasis on making sure that data centers pay for the energy that they use and that their usage does not drive up the cost of energy for Wisconsin homeowners. Similarly, it is common sense that such large water users should be required to report on their usage when it accounts for 25 percent or more of the total water usage of all customers for a water utility. Enforcing transparency about usage will help communities, utilities, and municipalities respond appropriately to water demand increases that could have very negative effects on local water sources, ecosystem health, and the costs of water provision.

We support the idea of encouraging data centers to rely on renewable wind and solar energy sources. SB 729 would require that at least 70 percent of the total annual electric energy used by the buildings be derived from renewable resources, as defined under s.16.75(12)(a)4. The definition of “renewable energy” referenced, however, includes hydropower, and we do not support the construction of new hydroelectric generation facilities to power data centers.

Many people believe that hydropower, which uses dams and gravity to spin electricity generating turbines, is a clean, climate-smart, energy source. This is a misconception. While wind and solar power offer renewable low-carbon energy and are generally cheaper than fossil fuels, hydropower can cause environmental damage. Dams and reservoirs alter river flows, raise water temperature, degrade water quality, increase sedimentation in reservoirs, and prevent migrations of fish and native mussels harming aquatic ecosystems and Wisconsin communities. Reservoirs are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly methane, an especially potent greenhouse gas, that results from eutrophication and harmful algal blooms.

Again, River Alliance supports the approach that SB 729 takes to create water usage transparency and accountability, to ensure that the costs of new energy and water demand are borne by the data centers and not by other customers, and to encourage the use of renewable energy like wind and solar as power sources. We are concerned that, in its current form, the bill will encourage expansions of hydropower generation that will extensively damage aquatic ecosystems and may be more destructive to the climate than fossil fuel use in some cases.

SB 843 and AB 840

The above reasons also underwrite our opposition to both of these bills as written. The bills require that “any renewable energy facility that primarily serves the load of a data center must be located at the site of the data center.” (Section 2. 196.492(2), lines 16-17). Again, using the definition of renewable energy from s. 196.378 (1)(fg), we are concerned this will encourage the construction of new, environmentally damaging, hydropower facilities. Limiting the use of renewable energy to sources constructed on site is unnecessarily restrictive and would likely have the effect of discouraging renewable energy use entirely. Because the bills do not explicitly require that data center owners pay the full cost of their energy use, this will drive up the cost of energy for Wisconsin residents while increasing pollution.

However, the requirements to require reporting to the DNR about annual water usage and to ensure that the costs of reclamation and failure of the facility are borne by the data center owners are sensible.

We are encouraged by the serious interest the Legislature is taking in managing the environmental consequences of data center construction. Given the likelihood that the industry will expand rapidly in the coming years, we hope this is the beginning of a sustained conversation about how to ensure that the benefits of data centers accrue to Wisconsinites and that these do not come with irreparable harm to our land and water resources.

– Mike Tiboris, Agriculture and Policy Director

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The post Data Center bills in the Wisconsin State Legislature appeared first on River Alliance of WI.

https://wisconsinrivers.org/data-center-bills/

Download the water infrastructure fact sheet.

Top 5 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities for 2026

On: February 10, 2026

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, invasive species, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

2026 Federal Great Lakes Policy Priorities.

The federal government plays a critical role in protecting the Great Lakes. It’s responsible for funding projects, administering programs, and enforcing environmental safeguards. The Alliance for the Great Lakes advocates directly to federal decision-makers to ensure the voices of the Great Lakes region are heard. Each year, we update and release our federal policy priorities to guide this work.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes has identified the top five opportunities for Congress and the Trump Administration to address challenges facing the Great Lakes. Federal water programs must be fully funded and prioritize communities where the burden of pollution hits hardest. This requires federal agencies to support scientific research and retain staff necessary to maintain long-term program integrity to protect the Great Lakes and the communities that depend on them.

Read on for full details of our 2026 Great Lakes federal policy priorities, or download the fact sheet to learn more.

Increase water infrastructure funding, prioritize funding for communities most in need, and enact national water affordability legislation

Based on EPA survey data, the Great Lakes region needs at least $290.3 billion over the next twenty years to fix failing water infrastructure. Current federal funding programs are not fully funded and will not meet this need. Congress must provide additional funds for water infrastructure, and it must be structured to reach communities with the highest needs.

In 2026, we urge Congress to:

Reauthorize and increase annual funding to at least $9.3 billion for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds, and make some of this funding available as grants or forgivable loans to disadvantaged communities.
Set aside at least 20 percent of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as grants for green infrastructure projects such as green roofs, permeable pavement, and additional green spaces in cities.
Pass a federal ban on water shutoffs.
Establish a federal program to provide financial assistance for water and sewer bills.

In 2026, we urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to:

Provide technical assistance to communities bearing the greatest financial and pollution burdens to ensure full access to water infrastructure funding.

Reauthorize and fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is one of the most important tools in the region’s toolbox to protect and restore the lakes. The program will require reauthorization by the end of 2026.

In 2026, we urge Congress to:

Reauthorize the GLRI program for the next five years (FY 2027-2031).
Fund the GLRI with at least $500 million in FY2027.

Download the Great Lakes restoration fact sheet.

Pass a Farm Bill that prioritizes clean water

Agriculture is the largest unaddressed source of nonpoint pollution in the Great Lakes region. Runoff from agricultural lands puts the Great Lakes at risk by polluting drinking water, threatening wildlife, and harming the regional economy. In 2026, Congress can pass a Farm Bill that ensures farms produce clean water, not pollution, along with their crops.

In 2026, we urge Congress to pass a Farm Bill that:

Increases funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs.
Ensures equitable distribution of conservation funding by reinstating payment limits.
Includes provisions to ensure accountability for farm conservation programs aimed at stopping runoff pollution from agricultural lands.
Targets federal funding for efforts to increase water quality monitoring in priority watersheds.

Download the agriculture fact sheet.

Pass legislation to stop plastic pollution

Researchers estimate that 22 million pounds of plastic pollution enter the Great Lakes annually. Plastic pollution isn’t just an unsightly problem in our waterways. It poses a serious threat to human and wildlife health. Congress has an opportunity to be a leader on reducing plastic pollution.

In 2026, we urge Congress to:

Reduce plastic pollution at the source by passing the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act, REUSE Act, and Farewell to Foam Act.
Ensure that the U.S. EPA maintains strong protections from toxic pollution to protect human health and drinking water.
Hold plastic waste producers accountable for its reduction, including by holding a hearing on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) progress in the United States.

In 2026, we urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to:

Protect our drinking water by listing plastic as a chemical of mutual concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and establishing ongoing monitoring of the Great Lakes and drinking water for plastic contaminants.

Download the plastic pollution fact sheet.

Protect the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species

Invasive species have caused irreparable harm to the Great Lakes ecosystem and cost the region billions of dollars. Preventing them from ever entering is the best way to protect the Great Lakes. The battle against invasive species is primarily focused on stopping invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes.

In 2026, we urge Congress to:

Fund the second phase of construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.
Authorize full (100%) federal funding for the remaining operation, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement (OMRR&R) costs for the project.
Ensure the continuity of coordinated interagency efforts to monitor, research, and address invasive species.

In 2026, we urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to:

Continue implementing the first phase of construction for the Brandon Road project while proceeding in parallel with Preconstruction Engineering and Design (PED) for increments two and three, in partnership with Illinois and Michigan.

Download the invasive species fact sheet.

Join Us February 24

Join us for Washington Update: Protecting the Great Lakes and Looking Ahead to 2026. Hear from our team and ask your questions about the Great Lakes and Washington.

The post Top 5 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities for 2026 appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2026/02/top-5-great-lakes-federal-policy-priorities-for-2026/

PFAS compromise bills must limit spills law exemptions

On: January 27, 2026

In: Drinking Water, PFAS

PFAS compromise bills must limit spills law exemptions

UPDATE – March 17: River Alliance of Wisconsin applauds the Wisconsin State Senate for unanimously approving PFAS bills AB 130 and AB131 to send the bills to Governor Evers to sign. On February 20, the Wisconsin State Assembly voted unanimously on bills that would release the long-awaited PFAS trust fund money to help fund PFAS remediation projects.

Clean water advocates voiced clear concerns during the years-long debate over spending the state budget funds and how to define innocent landowners. Ultimately legislators wrote a compromise that will make some needed progress in creating remediation grants and some limited exemptions to the state’s Spills Law.

It is because of people living with PFAS pollution who have tirelessly steered legislators into action to meaningfully release funds for drinking water remediation in Wisconsin. We encourage Governor Evers to sign this legislation and state legislators to continue to work to ban the use of PFAS-style chemicals.

On January 21, 2026, state legislators held another hearing on policies and funding for addressing PFAS contamination. The bills are the result of many months of debate and compromise. Through the whole process, we’ve listened to leaders of impacted communities and experts across the state and held firm on three core issues.

We insisted that since the 2023 state budget was passed, the Joint Finance Committee has always had the power to release the over $125 million of funds earmarked for action on PFAS. Though JFC leaders refused to release the money to communities with contaminated water, this legislation would finally move dollars out the door.

We insisted that our state should not make Swiss cheese out of our Spills Law with broad and vague exemptions for corporate pollution accountability. While we would prefer fewer exemptions to the Spills Law, we understand the need to exempt truly passive receivers, like farmers.

Finally, we insisted that there was no community left behind when it comes to accessing the funds needed to test, filter and remediate drinking water resources. We cannot support a bill that would create new policies and grant programs without hiring state experts to administer grants and enforce laws. The only way we would support this legislation is with an amendment to hire adequate DNR staff.

With the legislative session winding down and elections coming this fall, legislators are under pressure to have some progress to report to their constituents. Governor Evers has signaled his optimistic support for this compromise. However, from the start, this bill was an effort to exempt big businesses under the guise of helping innocent landowners. Adding further exemptions to protect already identified polluters is unacceptable.

It is only due to the many hours – years, in fact – of vocal members of impacted communities and clean water advocates that got PFAS contamination to be a household word and to push state leaders to do the right thing for our water.

We’re only at the beginning of providing remedies for communities living with water pollution. The people of Wisconsin cannot wait for funds from lawsuit settlements over PFAS pollution to get help for their drinking water. The state legislature must release the funds, hire the staff, and set their sights on the next step which is to ban PFAS-style chemicals and prevent further damage to our water.

Contacting your legislators will make an impact.

Please contact your State Representative to let them know the people of Wisconsin have waited for action on PFAS for far too long and they should support Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to AB 131, and Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to AB 130 without further exemptions.

The post PFAS compromise bills must limit spills law exemptions appeared first on River Alliance of WI.

https://wisconsinrivers.org/pfas-bill-compromises/

Congress protects Great Lakes programs from proposed cuts

On: January 23, 2026

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, invasive species

The U.S. House and Senate recently passed a significant budget package that rejects steep cuts proposed by the White House that would have slashed many federal programs essential to the health of our lakes and the people who depend on them. Ultimately, members of Congress from both parties came together to support hard-won investments, following a tradition of bipartisan support for the world’s largest freshwater resource that sits at the center of our region’s economy.

This does not happen by chance; it is the result of decades of work to increase the Great Lakes region’s influence in the Congress. The Alliance for the Great Lakes, our supporters, and numerous regional partners raised our collective voices to make this win possible.

Impact of cuts

Canada Geese swim on lake water that stretches far into the horizon.

After a comprehensive analysis of the cuts proposed by the President and in subsequent appropriations bills in the House and Senate, we sounded the alarm about the potential impacts of slashing funding that protects communities from flooding, sewage backups in homes, and lead pipes. We highlighted the value of science and research to monitor water quality, support fishery management, and prevent harmful algal blooms. And we called out the necessity of protecting the federal agencies that administer these critical Great Lakes programs. Our supporters sent over 7,000 messages calling on their senators and representatives to protect the lakes.

Funding to protect the lakes

To their credit, our elected representatives in Congress listened. When it came time to vote on the FY26 budget, many fought back drastic cuts, redoubled their commitment to the Great Lakes, and passed bipartisan bills that notably include:

A $1 million increase for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative ($369 million for the year).
Steady water infrastructure funding, including for State Revolving Funds (Clean Water: $1.639 billion; Drinking Water: $1.126 billion), and nearly $100 million for disadvantaged communities, lead service line replacement, sewer overflow mitigation, and workforce training.
Modest increases for Clean Water Act programs that control water pollution and support public water systems supervision.
Funding for specific U.S. Army Corps projects, including for Brandon Road Lock and Dam to prevent invasive carp from entering Lake Michigan.
Flat funding to the Department of the Interior for fish and wildlife restoration, Great Lakes science, and invasive species work.
Increase for the Integrated Ocean Observing System, which includes the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS).

You can find a detailed analysis of Great Lakes provisions in the FY26 appropriations bills from the Northeast Midwest Institute here.

These investments will provide real, direct benefits for 30 million people who rely on a clean and thriving Great Lakes region – for their health, local economies, and continued enjoyment of these precious natural resources.

Looking ahead

Now Congress will need to ensure that appropriations are spent by the agencies as directed, with no more “pocket recissions” or slow walking the release of funds. We must also recognize that funding alone is not enough; it takes federal workers to ensure that programs are implemented successfully. The federal government lost over 220,000 workers last year (a ten percent cut), with the potential for more Reductions in Force on the horizon. Congress will also need to stand up against regulatory pullbacks and reduced enforcement on clean water protections and permitting, holding agencies like the U.S. EPA accountable to their core mission.

So while we celebrate our region’s success in holding the line on Great Lakes funding so far, this is also a moment to reflect on the bigger picture: where we want to go as a region, and how that vision informs our funding needs to the future. We are facing big questions like:

Whether the shifting federal landscape – marked by the most significant rollback of federal Great Lakes institutions and policies since the early 1970s – changes the roles that federal agencies and States should play in Great Lakes protection and, if so, how?
Clean water should be available for all. Is our region adequately prepared to make the $290 billion in water infrastructure investments the EPA estimates is needed for critical stormwater, wastewater and drinking water projects over the next 20 years – particularly as we exhaust the one-time infusion of federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and as escalating extreme weather pummels the region?
Under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), we have seen major progress on restoration work to clean up legacy contamination over the past two decades. Having nearly achieved this initial purpose, what should the vision be for collaboration to address today’s most significant ecological challenges and community needs, especially in places most burdened by pollution?

In the months ahead, the Alliance for the Great Lakes will be watching for the President’s FY 2027 budget blueprint and how Congress responds, as well as monitoring the ways federal agencies implement funded programs and use their regulatory and enforcement powers. We will continue to collaborate with elected officials and partners from across the region to develop a future-forward vision for the Great Lakes in preparation for mid-term elections in 2026.

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The post Congress protects Great Lakes programs from proposed cuts appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2026/01/congress-protects-great-lakes-programs-from-proposed-cuts/

Win in Michigan: New Agriculture Pollution Rules on Nutrient Runoff

On: December 18, 2025

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water

Angela Blatt, Senior Agriculture Policy Manager

Winter has once again descended upon the Great Lakes region. What’s new this season in Michigan is a state ban on spreading manure on frozen fields. When manure is applied under frozen or saturated conditions, it cannot absorb into the soil, increasing the risk that it will wash off and contaminate groundwater.

The ban on winter manure applications is part of a broader win in Michigan for the environment and human health. After a lengthy court battle, regulators have finalized stricter pollution controls for the state’s largest livestock operations. These facilities – Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) – generate volumes of waste far beyond what nearby cropland can safely absorb. Excess nutrient runoff from these operations is polluting drinking water and fueling harmful algal blooms in waters across the Great Lakes.

Other common-sense regulations adopted by Michigan’s state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) include a ban on “manifesting” or transferring CAFO waste to other parties during winter months, ensuring that manure remains under permit oversight during the highest-risk season and helps prevent unregulated discharges.

EGLE is also pursuing stronger oversight and monitoring. The department will now require additional, site-specific controls for CAFOs located in watersheds that already exceed nutrient or pollution limits. There’s also a clearer definition of who is responsible for waste management at an industrial livestock facility. This ensures that CAFO owners remain accountable even when using separate business entities. EGLE may now require CAFOs to conduct groundwater monitoring to ensure that operations do not pollute drinking water sources while also requiring CAFOs to notify the agency before spreading waste on high-risk fields, allowing for timely inspections and stronger compliance.

All of this is desperately needed.

According to the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), although “the 290 permitted CAFOs in Michigan represent less than 1% of the 40,000-plus farms in the state, animals on those CAFOs generate 17 million more pounds of fecal waste per day than the state’s entire population of 10 million humans.” ELPC discovered that CAFOs in the state create much more manure than the surrounding cropland can utilize with the excess running off into water supplies.

These reforms reflect years of sustained advocacy to close regulatory gaps that allowed pollution to persist. The Alliance for the Great Lakes worked alongside ELPC and partner organizations to highlight the water quality and public health risks of unmanaged manure applications. By advocating for clearer rules, stronger oversight, and science-based permit standards, the Alliance helped lay the groundwork in Michigan for a regulatory framework that better protects communities, drinking water, and the Great Lakes.

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The post Win in Michigan: New Agriculture Pollution Rules on Nutrient Runoff appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/12/win-in-michigan-new-agriculture-pollution-rules-on-nutrient-runoff/

New Report: Working Together to Improve Water Infrastructure

On: November 5, 2025

In: Combined sewer overflows, Drinking Water, Lead service lines

The State Revolving Fund (SRF) Advocates Forum (Forum) brings together community leaders from more than 36 states advocating for critical water infrastructure funding needs to replace lead service lines, upgrade storm sewer systems that flood during storms, and more. SRFs are a significant funding source for local governments and utilities to pay for these critical water infrastructure projects. SRFs combine state and federal funds to support loan funding for projects (including some principal forgiveness), but each state administers its own program, resulting in varying priorities and rules for accessing financing and funding across states. The SRF Forum helps leaders navigate the patchwork of state SRF rules to make them more accessible, secure the needed funding, and ultimately provide clean and safe drinking water and necessary wastewater and stormwater services for their residents.

Read the SRF Forum Advocates Engagement Report — Read the SRF Advocates Engagement Report

A newly released report authored by the Forum co-conveners – Alliance for Great Lakes, Environmental Policy Innovation Center, PolicyLink, and River Network – and with vital input from Forum members, documents Forum members’ advocacy journeys engaging with state staff across the country to focus SRF funding on communities with the highest need. The annual SRF Advocates Engagement Report highlights SRF Forum advocates’ successes, lessons learned, and strategic pivots to strengthen the broader movement for equitable water infrastructure funding. Through this report, we celebrate the advocates’ momentum while also highlighting the remaining urgent SRF program changes needed to support communities trying to access these funds.

What did we hear from advocates about their experiences with SRF programs in our SRF Engagement Survey and interviews with advocates?

Across two periods, 2021–2022 and 2023–2024, SRF Forum members:

Emphasized the effectiveness of coordinated and coalition-based movements, leaning into shared capacity across several organizations to build relationships with state agencies to analyze and reform SRF policies. Most survey respondents (72%) stressed the importance of coalitions, with 63% of in-depth interview participants describing them as essential for sustaining advocacy efforts.

Chart showing the number and type of organization and coalitions that engaged

Shared the SRF policy areas most important to their work, including:
- Helping small and otherwise vulnerable communities receive priority for principal forgiveness and other preferred loan terms. For example, advocates recommended increasing the total allocation of principal forgiveness available for communities in need, along with raising caps on the amount of principal forgiveness one community can receive toward a project.
- Providing technical assistance to make the SRFs more accessible for utilities serving low-income residents. For example, advocates focused on maximizing technical assistance funding to help state-defined disadvantaged communities advance projects to the Fundable List.

Why are the SRFs important to advocates?

The two federal SRF programs – the Clean Water SRF and the Drinking Water SRF – have provided more than $200 billion in financing for water infrastructure over the past several decades. When the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was enacted in 2021, it infused an additional $43 billion into the SRF programs over five years (2022–2026). However, right now the U.S. Congress is considering changes to and reductions in the federal funding for these programs, making education about and advocacy around the SRFs more important than ever.

Over the past four years, the SRF Forum has developed a robust library of resources, learning sessions, and peer-led learning spaces. This report provides a snapshot of the extensive work and dedication of advocates supported by these tools, and experiences shared by their peers in the SRF Forum, to secure robust investment in our communities’ water resources. Going forward, members of the SRF Forum can continue to rely on these resources and community of practice to collectively keep advocating for federal and state investment in the SRFs during this critical time.

To learn more about the SRF Advocates Forum, visit the website.

Join the SRF Advocates Forum

Help improve your community’s water infrastructure. If you’re a community leader who would like support engaging with state SRF administrators on your state’s policies, join today.

Join Today

The post New Report: Working Together to Improve Water Infrastructure appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/11/working-together-to-improve-water-infrastructure/

Healing Our Waters Conference Recap: Collaboration and Community at the Core

On: October 14, 2025

In: Drinking Water, Environmental Justice

This year’s Healing Our Waters Conference brought together hundreds of advocates, funders, scientists, and community leaders in Rochester, New York, to explore solutions for the health of the Great Lakes. Over two days, participants shared knowledge, built new partnerships, and reflected on the region’s shared responsibility to protect its water resources. Healing our Waters is a coalition of more than 180 organizations that work to protect the Great Lakes,

Representing the Alliance for the Great Lakes were Vice President for Programs Megan Cunningham, Senior Agriculture Policy Manager Angela Blatt, and Local Partnership Manager Bre’Shaun Reddick. Each returned from the conference with insights about collaboration, justice, and the power of community-led work.

Rochester: A City Shaped by Water

The conference’s location in Rochester offered a living example of the Great Lakes’ connection to history, innovation, and community. During a tour along the Genesee River and Erie Canal, participants learned how waterways fueled the city’s growth and continue to shape its identity.

“As we marked the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal, it was a reminder that our waterways have always been drivers of progress,” said Cunningham. “It also pushed us to remember that this progress came at a cost, including the displacement of Indigenous communities. Our responsibility now is to learn from that history and move toward restoration and balance.”

That reflection framed many of the week’s discussions about equitable growth, resource protection, and accountability.

Advancing Water Justice Across the Great Lakes

Vice President for Programs **Megan Cunningham** moderating a panel titled *No One Left Thirsty: Advancing Water Justice Across Michigan*

Cunningham also served as moderator for a panel titled No One Left Thirsty: Advancing Water Justice Across Michigan, which examined water affordability as a human right. She shared findings from the region’s use of federal funds through the Low-Income Water Assistance Program (LIWAP), which between 2021 and 2024 provided $287 million in relief to nearly 400,000 households.

“It’s a reminder that this issue extends beyond any one city or state,” Cunningham said. “Families across the Great Lakes are still struggling to afford their water bills. We need consistent, long-term solutions that make access to clean water a right, not a privilege.”

The panel also featured community and policy leaders who discussed how states can learn from each other’s efforts to make water more affordable and equitable.

Partnership and Shared Learning

Senior Agriculture Policy Manager **Angela Blatt** presenting information on AGL’s recent Nitrate report.

For Blatt, the conference reinforced that progress on Great Lakes protection is rooted in relationships.

“There was a strong focus on community-led solutions,” Blatt said. “The Milwaukee Community Advisory Committee model was especially inspiring. It shows how residents can take the lead in shaping restoration projects that reflect their priorities.”

Throughout the event, Blatt met with partners from Michigan and Ohio, spoke with funders, and shared updates about the Alliance’s recent reports. “It was encouraging to hear how our work is resonating with people across the Basin,” she said.

Federal Action and Regional Resilience

In the closing plenary, Eight Months In: Washington’s Impact on the Great Lakes, Cunningham joined policy experts to discuss how federal decisions are shaping the region’s future. While challenges remain, bipartisan support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative continues to signal hope.

“There’s a lot that feels uncertain in today’s political climate,” Cunningham said. “But the continued commitment to the Great Lakes shows what’s possible when people put the health of our waters first.”

The discussion also highlighted the importance of maintaining science funding, updating infrastructure, and preparing for long-term challenges such as climate change and water affordability.

Centering Community Voices

For Reddick, attending for the first time as a member of the Healing Our Waters Governing Board was both inspiring and grounding. They explored Rochester’s waterways, birdwatched along the Genesee River, and joined sessions that connected art, culture, and environmental justice.

“The conversations felt grounded and real,” Reddick said. “There was a deep commitment to honoring community voices while building partnerships that create lasting impact.”

The conference reaffirmed that protecting the Great Lakes requires more than policy and research. It takes people.

As Blatt reflected, “The energy was hopeful. We’re not just talking about protecting water. We’re building relationships that make real change possible.”

The post Healing Our Waters Conference Recap: Collaboration and Community at the Core appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/10/healing-our-waters-conference-recap-collaboration-and-community-at-the-core/

Download the full report – Nitrates on Tap: The Cost of Nitrate Contamination in Wisconsin’s Drinking Water

New Report: Nitrate Contamination Driving Health Crisis and Rising Costs in Wisconsin

On: September 18, 2025

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water

CHICAGO, IL (September 18, 2025) – Wisconsin faces a growing public health crisis from nitrate contamination in drinking water, according to a new report released today. Thousands of households are paying the price with higher water costs and serious health risks linked to nitrate contamination from fertilizer and manure pollution. Nitrate exposure is linked to serious health effects, including cancer, pregnancy complications, and infant methemoglobinemia, otherwise known as blue baby syndrome.

The report – Nitrates on Tap: The Cost of Nitrate Contamination in Wisconsin’s Drinking Water – was published to inform concerned Wisconsinites, serve as a blueprint for how other states can analyze and address the issue, and highlight the need for more protective nitrate standards. It was authored in partnership between the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Clean Wisconsin.

Cover Image -- Nitrates on Tap: The Cost of Nitrate Contamination in Wisconsin’s Drinking Water

Download a fact sheet of key takeaways

Nitrates on Tap also includes several powerful first-person testimonials from Wisconsin residents directly impacted by nitrates.

The report estimates that, statewide, 16 million pounds of fertilizer beyond what crops need to grow was likely applied to farm fields in 2022. Current state policies and voluntary programs have failed to curb this problem. Instead, those costs are being shifted to individuals and ratepayers while putting communities that depend on public and private drinking water systems at risk. For both municipalities and private well owners, nitrate contamination from agriculture drives up costs by increasing reliance on water treatment infrastructure, bottled water, and well replacement.

Mark Brueggeman of Nelsonville, Wisconsin with his well, which had to be dug to a depth of 197 feet and cost nearly twenty thousand dollars.

“Wisconsin communities are living with the health impacts and costs of nitrate contamination – costs that are largely borne by ratepayers and homeowners,” said Angela Blatt, Senior Agriculture Policy Manager for the Alliance for the Great Lakes and one of the report’s authors.

“We can’t just continue to dig our way out of the problem with groundwater wells. This report is a call to action for comprehensive changes in policy and practices that are necessary in Wisconsin – as well as other areas throughout the Great Lakes Basin – to protect our drinking water and stop the pollution at its source,” Blatt said.

“Nitrates are Wisconsin’s most widespread drinking water contaminant, with health risks even at low levels. The costs of treating our drinking water will only continue to rise, so we need to tackle this challenge at its source.  Agriculture needs to have a seat at the table if we are going to identify and implement workable, effective and widespread solutions to protect families, safeguard water, and sustain our state’s farming future. This report is a call to start those conversations in earnest,” said Sara Walling, Clean Wisconsin Water & Agriculture Program Director. 

The report lays out key facts about nitrate pollution and its impact on human health and the environment. Nitrates on Tap is also a sober assessment of the high costs of inaction and offers detailed recommendations for a coordinated, science-based policy response that state legislators and agencies can take, building upon previous efforts to combat nitrate pollution.

Mary Warner of Nekoosa, Wisconsin, with bottled water she is required to purchase as her well is currently testing above the federal regulatory standard of 10mg/L for nitrate.

Recommendations include:

Expanding a program that reimburses costs for private wells,
Monitoring groundwater as well as costs borne by public water systems,
Increasing polluter enforcement,
Updating state water and agriculture standards,
And more.

Without action, more Wisconsin families will face unsafe drinking water and mounting bills. This report shows how we can protect our water from nitrates, if policymakers act now.

Wisconsin had been taking steps to address nitrogen pollution, but the state legislature took away some rule-making authorities from regulating agencies. A recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, however, does open the door for stronger action and agencies should seize the opportunity.

###

Contacts:
Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org
Amy Barrilleaux, Communications Director, Clean Wisconsin, abarrilleaux@cleanwisconsin.org

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The post New Report: Nitrate Contamination Driving Health Crisis and Rising Costs in Wisconsin appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/09/new-report-nitrate-contamination-driving-health-crisis-and-rising-costs-in-wisconsin/

Critical Months Ahead for the Great Lakes in Congress

On: July 17, 2025

In: Agricultural runoff, Combined sewer overflows, Drinking Water, Environmental Justice, great lakes restoration, invasive species, Lead service lines

Don Jodrey, Director of Federal Government Relations

On July 4^th, President Donald Trump signed into law the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” or “OBBBA.” Now that OBBBA is law, the focus in Congress turns to funding the government and passing legislation that is required to renew, or “reauthorize,” federal programs in the new fiscal year that starts October 1st.

On the funding side, the President’s proposed budget recommends deep cuts that would threaten the health of the Great Lakes and the people who depend on them. Congressional Republicans are unlikely to accept the full cuts, as some in their leadership have spoken out against some of the proposals, but important funding is still likely to be scaled back. Among the cuts would be funding to replace dangerous lead pipes, fix leaky pipes, and stop sewage overflows from entering our lakes and people’s homes.

On the fight to reauthorize key programs, there are some potentially positive signs, though some of the renewed programs may end up with less funding. Programs up for reauthorization cover fisheries management, water infrastructure, managing invasive carp, and on-the-ground restoration projects, from wetland restoration to cleaning up toxic hot spots.

At the Alliance, we’re following these developments closely and working to ensure that federal programs and policies protect and restore the clean, fresh water of the Great Lakes in a manner that promotes a sustainable economy and environment for Great Lakes residents.

The administration’s budget proposal threatens the Great Lakes, our public health, and our environment

The first order of business is Congressional action on the 12 annual spending bills that Congress must enact before the end of September, when the new fiscal year begins and current government funding runs out.

The FY 2026 President’s Budget that was submitted to Congress this spring proposes sweeping cuts to many federal agencies that significantly reduce domestic discretionary spending. For the Great Lakes, the proposed cuts risk the health of residents who rely upon the lakes as a source of drinking water because the budget proposes to eliminate nearly all of the $3 billion in water infrastructure funding that is provided annually to states. These steep cuts would make it difficult for Great Lakes states to address water infrastructure backlogs, replace lead service lines, address contaminant issues such as PFAS, and provide principal forgiveness for disadvantaged communities that struggle to construct expensive drinking and wastewater infrastructure because they may lack the tax base to do so. These are just a few of the problems with proposing to eliminate nearly $3 billion in annual federal funding that supports water infrastructure needs nationally. Information gathered by the Environmental Protection Agency indicates that the national backlog of water infrastructure needs is growing, not diminishing, over the next 20 years.

Although Congressional Republicans solidly supported the President in passing OBBBA, Congressional Republicans are unlikely to accept the proposed FY 2026 proposed budget cuts, as key Republicans in leadership positions have spoken out against some of the proposed cuts. As a result, on the House side where the individual appropriations subcommittees have begun to “mark up” the annual spending bills, the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee did not agree with the Administration to eliminate water infrastructure funds to states for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (“SRFs”).

Notwithstanding this opposition to the Administration’s proposal, they did propose significant cuts totaling $661.9 million, or approximately 24%, of the funds for the nation’s primary source of water infrastructure funding. This means that the Great Lakes States will collectively lose $137.1 million. This loss is ameliorated by the fact that some Members of Congress from Great Lakes states pursued “Community Project Funding” where they directed funds from within these large federal appropriations to water infrastructure projects in their districts. If a Member of Congress secured such community-specific funding, the overall loss to their state is less than it would have been. The 24% cut to water infrastructure funding combined with the Community Project Funding would result in the following changes to water infrastructure funding compared to last year:

State	Change in federal water infrastructure funding
Illinois	+ $800,000
Indiana	– $20,200,000
Michigan	– $2,100,000
Minnesota	+ $28,800,000
New York	– $53,200,000
Ohio	– $23,500,000
Pennsylvania	– $34,200,000
Wisconsin	– $33,500,000

Although House Republicans are not fully embracing the Administration’s proposed cuts to water infrastructure funding, SRF funding to states under the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee mark-up is less than last year, which is problematic for the reasons discussed above.

Similarly, Congressional Republicans on the House side are also not accepting the Administration’s proposal to eliminate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (“NOAA”) Office of Atmospheric Research, which funds numerous research facilities around the country and also in the Great Lakes, including the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (“GLERL”) in Ann Arbor, MI and the related research organization housed there known as the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research or “CIGLR.” CIGLR is a public-private partnership of 10 research universities throughout the region, non-governmental organizations, and local governmental partners who tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the Great Lakes. These challenges include the monitoring of harmful algal blooms, or “HABs,” which are produced by agricultural runoff. CIGLR monitors HAB outbreaks, which occur during the summer months, to ensure that the Great Lakes drinking water in areas affected by HABs is safe to drink and to protect swimmers and fishermen from the effects of HABs – which can be fatal. Although the details are not yet available, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science marked up its bill this week and proposes to only decrease NOAA’s Office of Atmospheric Research by $257 million, which leaves intact most of these functions. We have yet to determine whether GLERL or CIGLR is fully funded and able to maintain the functions it provides to Great Lakes States.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate has only started its process to develop the 12 annual spending bills and two senior Senators, Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine (who voted against OBBBA) and Interior Appropriations Chair Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have expressed doubts about supporting the Administration’s proposed cuts. The Senate’s Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science has begun to consider its bill funding NOAA programs, but halted its markup this week where it added back approximately $650 million for NOAA’s Office of Atmospheric Research. No further details are available on the Senate markup as it is not complete, but Senate Republicans are also not fully on board with the Administration’s funding proposals.

Although there is a great deal of uncertainty over how Congress will resolve its differences with the Administration on the FY 2026 budget, and the Congress must also consider a package of “rescissions” recently proposed by the Administration (canceling prior year spending), it is clear that the House and Senate are unlikely to pass any of the individual spending bills before Congress recesses in August. After Labor Day, Congress will devote its time to issues associated with enacting a budget for FY 2026 that begins on October 1^st. Given this attenuated schedule, it is possible that there will be one or more continuing resolutions for FY 2026 which just extend current levels of annual funding for a period of time. We will closely monitor these developments and let you know how the annual funding process is unfolding.

Bipartisan support for continuing Great Lakes programs

With respect to other legislative issues affecting the Great Lakes, including reauthorization for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, reauthorization for the Great Lakes Fishery Reauthorization Act, reauthorization for the Clean Water Act’s State Revolving Funds, and the implementation of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project in Joliet, Illinois, that is intended to halt invasive carp from getting into Lake Michigan, there are some positive developments.

First, President Trump has publicly announced his support for both the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (or “GLRI”) as well as the Brandon Road Project. For GLRI, which the Administration proposes to fund at last year’s enacted level, the bipartisan reauthorization bill, which has been reintroduced in both the House and Senate, has attracted numerous bipartisan cosponsors and is likely to pass during this session of Congress, which ends in 2026. We are working closely with a bipartisan group of Great Lakes Members of Congress to ensure that the bill moves through both the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, passes the House and Senate, and becomes law.

For the Brandon Road Project, President Trump issued a memorandum earlier this year directing federal agencies to move expeditiously to implement the project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”), which initiated project construction in late 2024, is doing just that. All contracts for the first phase of project construction are issued, and work is well underway. The Corps is working diligently with its local partners, the States of Illinois and Michigan, to get ready for the next phase of construction (slated to begin in the fall of 2026), which requires an additional transfer of lands from the State of Illinois to the Corps. This land transfer is scheduled to occur before September 2025 so that the Corps may begin site testing and preparation of these lands and remediation of any contamination as necessary. No additional federal funding is needed until FY 2027, and the project is on track thanks to the diligent work of the States of Illinois and Michigan and the Corps.

Other legislative reauthorizations are moving, with the schedule largely dictated by the Administration’s transition, which is unprecedented in scope in terms of actions that affect federal agency budgets, staffing, regulations and policy, as well as judicial review. At the Alliance, we work to stay on top of these changes and to inform and educate decision-makers on the effects of proposed actions. As another source of good news, the Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act just passed the House this week and may now be considered by the Senate. Work is also underway among authorizing staff to prepare for the reauthorization of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which must be reauthorized by the end of 2026; we are working that issue as well.

We will continue working on all these issues as they move through Congress. We are hopeful that the Administration’s support for both GLRI and Brandon Road, and the awareness of how numerous federal programs support the Great Lakes and its people, will result in final actions on funding and legislating that protect the Great Lakes.

If you have any concerns about proposals and actions in the federal legislative or executive branch that are being considered, we encourage you to contact your Congressional representative to express your views using the action alert below.

Tell Congress: Don’t Cut Critical Great Lakes Programs

Congress is considering budget proposals that could devastate our nation’s ability to protect the Great Lakes, public health, and our regional economy.

Take Action

The post Critical Months Ahead for the Great Lakes in Congress appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/07/critical-months-ahead-for-the-great-lakes-in-congress/

Advocacy group challenges “new normal” status of Lake Erie’s algal blooms

On: July 15, 2025

In: Algae Blooms, algal blooms, Authors, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Gary Wilson, lake erie, Latest News, News, Ohio, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Advocacy group challenges “new normal” status of Lake Erie’s algal blooms

It’s the annual peak algal bloom season and the spotlight as usual, is on Lake Erie’s western basin, including Toledo and southeast Michigan.

For the public, that’s because in 2014, Toledo went three days without drinking water as toxic algal blooms forced the city to issue a “do not drink” order.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/advocacy-group-challenges-new-normal-status-of-lake-eries-algal-blooms/

Chicago was supposed to warn residents about toxic lead pipes last year. Most still have no idea.

On: July 15, 2025

In: Chicago, Climate change, Drinking Water, Feature-Chicago, Illinois, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, lead pipes, News, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Chicago was supposed to warn residents about toxic lead pipes last year. Most still have no idea.

By Keerti Gopal & Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

This story is a partnership between Grist, Inside Climate News, and WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region. This coverage is made possible through an ongoing partnership between Grist and WBEZ.

Inside Climate News and Grist

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/chicago-was-supposed-to-warn-residents-about-toxic-lead-pipes-last-year-most-still-have-no-idea/

Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic pipes. Replacing them will take decades.

On: July 1, 2025

In: Chicago, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Feature Lead, Feature-Chicago, Illinois, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, lead pipes, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic pipes. Replacing them will take decades.

By Keerti Gopal & Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

Inside Climate News and Grist

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/chicago-residents-risk-daily-lead-exposure-from-toxic-pipes-replacing-them-will-take-decades/

Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects attempt by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce to undermine state’s Spills Law

On: June 24, 2025

In: Drinking Water, water policy

Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects attempt by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce to undermine state’s Spills Law

In good news for protecting Wisconsin’s water, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a positive decision that recognizes the importance of our state’s Spills Law to protect public health from hazardous substances. The following is a statement from Midwest Environmental Advocates on behalf of amicus groups, including River Alliance of Wisconsin, who made arguments about why Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s challenge to our Spills Law was a serious threat to our longstanding environmental protection law.

Today, in a decision applauded by environmental and public health advocates, the Wisconsin
Supreme Court issued a ruling affirming the ability of the Department of Natural Resources to protect
Wisconsinites from toxic environmental pollution under the state’s Spills Law.

The decision marks the end of a case that began in 2021 when Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce filed a lawsuit against the DNR to limit the agency’s ability to investigate PFAS contamination and require
responsible parties to clean up contaminated sites.

“The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision is a victory for the health and wellbeing of the people of Wisconsin.
We are pleased that the court rejected WMC’s reckless attempt to undermine a bedrock environmental and
public health protection that has kept Wisconsinites safe from toxic contamination for almost fifty years,” said
Midwest Environmental Advocates Staff Attorney Rob Lee.

For more than four years, Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) has been fighting to make sure WMC
doesn’t succeed in gutting the Spills Law. Between 2021 and 2025, MEA filed five amicus briefs in the case on
behalf of Citizens for a Clean Wausau, Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin, River Alliance of
Wisconsin, Wisconsin Environmental Health Network, and Doug Oitzinger, a former mayor of Marinette and a
current alderperson.

Allison Werner, Executive Director of River Alliance of Wisconsin, said, “For decades, industries have been
aware of the serious health and environmental dangers posed by PFAS and similar toxic chemicals—yet many
continued to use them without regard for the damage they cause. Today’s decision leaves little doubt that the
DNR has the authority and the responsibility to hold polluters accountable when they contaminate our
environment and our clean drinking water.”

Tom Kilian of Citizens for a Clean Wausau said, “For nearly five decades, Wisconsin’s Spills Law has played a
key role in cleaning up thousands of polluted sites—many of which are found in diverse, low-wealth
neighborhoods. Here in Wausau, these working-class neighborhoods have borne the brunt of industrial
pollution for generations. We got involved in this case because every Wisconsinite has the right to clean air,
safe water, and a healthy environment—regardless of where they live or how much money they make.”

Doug Oitzinger, a former mayor of Marinette and a current city alder, said, “WMC’s agenda prioritizes
industry profits at the expense of public health and a clean environment. They are using the courts to attack
bedrock environmental laws that are used to hold polluters like Tyco accountable for the harm they have
caused in my communities. Today’s decision was a clear rejection of WMC’s flawed legal arguments and
dangerous pro-polluter agenda.”

Dean Hoegger, President of Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin, said, “Whatever the size or
scale of a hazardous spill, Wisconsinites expect the state to get it cleaned up. When toxic chemicals threaten
our water, our air, and our families, we don’t have time for legal loopholes or corporate stall tactics. This
decision is a crucial affirmation that the state can—and must—act quickly to stop environmental disasters
before they spiral out of control.”

Beth Neary, M.D., Co-President of Wisconsin Environmental Health Network, said, “From Stella to Marinette
to French Island and other communities facing PFAS-contaminated drinking water, this ruling will be celebrated.
It is a victory for the health of all Wisconsinites, because no parent should ever have to worry about the water
used to cook or make infant formula.”

In 2022, a Waukesha County circuit court judge sided with WMC, though he agreed to place a stay on the
decision pending final resolution of the case. The stay prevented the decision from taking effect and allowed
the DNR to continue cleaning up PFAS contamination and providing bottled water to families whose drinking
water has been contaminated. In March 2024, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals upheld the lower court ruling.
MEA subsequently filed an amicus brief urging the State Supreme Court to take the case and warning of the
devastating consequences for public health and natural resources if WMC were to succeed in gutting the Spills
Law.

The Spills Law plays an important part in protecting the public from exposure not only to PFAS, but to
thousands of hazardous substances, including industrial pollutants, manure and agrichemicals. For decades,
DNR staff have used their science-based expertise to determine what substances are considered hazardous and
under what conditions. WMC’s lawsuit was designed to force the agency to go through a lengthy administrative
rulemaking process to come up with a detailed list of every possible hazardous substance and every
circumstance in which that substance could be hazardous. ‘Making a list’ would mean undertaking a
rulemaking process that is notoriously prone to political interference and could drag on for years.

WMC’s attack on the Spills Law is part of a larger effort to roll back environmental protections across
Wisconsin. In January, a Polk County judge dismissed a WMC lawsuit challenging a local ordinance that
regulates the operation of large livestock operations known as confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Another WMC lawsuit is aimed at eliminating virtually all environmental oversight of CAFOs. A Calumet County
Circuit Court ruled against WMC in January 2024, but the lobbying group has since appealed the case to the
Wisconsin Court of Appeals, where a decision is pending.

Read more about this news in the Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Public Radio.

The post Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects attempt by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce to undermine state’s Spills Law appeared first on River Alliance of WI.

https://wisconsinrivers.org/spills-law-win/

How much plastic is in the Great Lakes?

On: June 9, 2025

In: documentary, Drinking Water, Fish, Birds and Animals, Latest News, microplastics, News, Ohio, Ripples of Plastic, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Microplastics are turning up everywhere, including our water, our food, and even our bodies. And the Great Lakes are no exception.

Ripples of Plastic is a documentary from Ohio filmmakers Chris Langer and Josh Heese that investigates how plastic pollution is making its way into the largest freshwater system in the world.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/how-much-plastic-is-in-the-great-lakes/

Everything to know about microplastics in the Great Lakes

On: May 26, 2025

In: Donté Smith, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Latest News, Lisa John Rogers, microplastics, plastic, pollution, Ripples of Plastics, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Everything to know about microplastics in the Great Lakes

Shortly after Chelsea Rochman moved to Toronto to start her current faculty job at University of Toronto, she began working with the Government of Canada to sample microplastics in fish from Lake Ontario. What she found, she said, shocked her. They found microplastics in every single fish they tested. Every single fish.

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/everything-to-know-about-microplastics-in-the-great-lakes/

Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.

On: May 6, 2025

In: Algae Blooms, algal blooms, Collaboration, Drinking Water, lake erie, Latest News, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Data and Technology, restoration, Science, Technology, Research, trump, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.

By Anna Clark, ProPublica

This story was originally published by ProPublica.

Just one year ago, JD Vance was a leading advocate of the Great Lakes and the efforts to restore the largest system of freshwater on the face of the planet.

As a U.S.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/millions-of-people-depend-on-the-great-lakes-water-supply-trump-decimated-the-lab-protecting-it/

ProPublica

Trump Budget Proposal Slashes Federal Funding, Threatens the Great Lakes and Sets Up Showdown With Congress

On: May 6, 2025

In: Agricultural runoff, Combined sewer overflows, Drinking Water, Environmental Justice, great lakes restoration, invasive species, Lead service lines

Don Jodrey, Director of Federal Government Relations

The Trump Administration’s proposed FY 2026 President’s Budget slashes federal non-defense spending and proposes steep cuts to federal programs that protect and restore the Great Lakes and the communities that depend on them.

The White House proposal to cut federal funding threatens Great Lakes residents, putting their health and economic security at risk by defunding water infrastructure programs, important research and observation programs, and efforts to assist communities overburdened from pollution. At the top of the list is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“U.S. EPA”), with a proposed overall cut of 55% that would gut key water infrastructure programs that help pay for safe and clean drinking water, and stop sewage overflows, flooding, and basement backups. Also on the chopping block are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (-19%), the Interior Department (including the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Geologic Survey, -31%), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (-18%), all of which play key roles in restoring and protecting the Great Lakes through action on the ground and robust scientific research. Taken together, the White House proposal to gut federal funding not only threatens the Great Lakes but also sets up a showdown with Congress, which must decide whether to protect core funding for the programs it created or go along with the President’s proposed deep-cut budget.

With water infrastructure needs growing, budget drastically cuts funding

Under this budget, U.S. EPA would abdicate a large portion of its federal responsibility and partnership with the states as set forth by Congress in both the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. And it comes at a time when water infrastructure needs are growing fast. Based on its 2023 Drinking Water Needs Information and Assessment Survey and its 2022 Clean Water Needs Survey, U.S. EPA estimates that Great Lakes states need at least $290.3 billion in water infrastructure investment over the next twenty years. Against this need, the proposed budget would decimate federal funding levels for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (“SRFs”) – the primary federal program for funding and financing water infrastructure projects – by nearly 90%. Such cuts threaten to destabilize states and communities struggling to ensure safe drinking water and protections from flooding and sewage. The Great Lakes states would see the following decreases in federal funding for water infrastructure programs:

State	Decrease in federal water infrastructure funding
Illinois	– $94.6 million
Indiana	– $57.5 million
Michigan	– $84.1 million
Minnesota	– $41.2 million
New York	– $204.2 million
Ohio	– $102.9 million
Pennsylvania	– $89.2 million
Wisconsin	– $55.6 million

While the states have built up funding in their state-administered SRFs since Congress established these programs, the states cannot meet the estimated water infrastructure needs on their own. The proposed budget ignores that federal funding plays key roles in state-administered SRFs. States rely heavily on federal funding to provide principal forgiveness or grant funding to disadvantaged communities that struggle to afford standard awards. States also use federal funding to help pay for staffing and technical assistance to communities, and to supplement repayable loan awards. U.S. EPA plays a key role in administering SRF funding, including assessing infrastructure needs on a regular basis to make sure funding goes to the states proportional to the need, and ensuring drinking water, stormwater, and sanitary system operators comply with standards that keep us and our waters safe. The White House’s blithe explanation that it is returning control of these programs to the states ignores the important federal partnership that has been underway since Congress first established these programs decades ago.

Cuts threaten programs that protect Great Lakes from algal blooms, invasive species, and more

The administration’s budget also proposes a $1 billion reduction in EPA’s categorical grants. These programs support state efforts to implement Clean Water Act regulations, reduce lead in drinking water, reduce sources of non-point source pollution that fuels harmful algal blooms, assist small and disadvantaged communities struggling to implement water infrastructure programs, and develop a water workforce. Like the proposed reductions to the SRFs, the proposal to nearly eliminate all categorical grants upends important federalism goals for programs Congress established to deal with specific needs.

As noted above, the budget also includes steep cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Interior Department (the Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geologic Survey and the National Park Service), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These cuts threaten the restoration of the Great Lakes by decreasing our ability to conduct scientific investigations, address runoff pollution and harmful algal blooms that threaten our drinking water, control invasive species to protect our fisheries, and protect national parks in the region.

The cuts in the administration’s proposal would threaten the quality of the drinking water relied on by more than 30 million Americans in the Great Lakes region. The cuts would defer and delay action to stop sewage backups into homes and surface waters, replace failing septic systems, and solve chronic flooding. Access to safe and clean drinking water and freedom from flooding and sewage impacts are basic needs that should be guaranteed to all citizens and communities across the Great Lakes.

Will Congress agree to such steep cuts?

The big question is whether Congress will agree to such steep reductions. The answer is unclear and, in some cases, such as the proposed $3.4 billion proposed cuts to water infrastructure programs, the answer may be a hard no.

Just last week, in a display of bipartisan unity, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, under the leadership of Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), held its first hearing on water infrastructure funding with the goal of finalizing a bipartisan water infrastructure package that would reauthorize both the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds, as well as other water infrastructure grant programs like the Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act program. Sen. Capito, who played a leading role in negotiating the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) with its $50 billion investment in water infrastructure, extolled the federalism virtues of the SRFs and the important role they played in assisting states with meeting their water infrastructure needs and providing water services to underserved communities. Senator Capito, and the other senators attending the hearing including Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Senator Angela Alsobooks (D-MD) all praised the IIJA water infrastructure funding, noting the many projects underway in each of their states addressing important community needs, including upgrading treatment facilities, replacing aging systems, supporting the needs of rural and underserved communities, replacing lead service lines, and dealing with contaminants such as PFAS.

The debate in the reauthorization of water infrastructure programs is not whether there will be the votes to pass the legislation, but how much control to give to states at the expense of federal oversight. These programs are designed to help states meet their obligations – and protect our health – under bedrock federal laws like the Clean Water Act. That is a very important question and one in which the answer has yet to emerge. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will be conducting other hearings on this topic and the House is expected to follow suit later this year.

In the meantime, the appropriations process is well underway, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have been working on the FY 2026 budget in anticipation of the start of the fiscal year this October. The Trump Administration’s FY 2026 budget proposal is just that, a proposal, and Congress will be evaluating the steep budget cuts. For our part at the Alliance, we will be meeting with members of the Great Lakes delegations to point out the many problems with the proposed cuts and working hard to ensure that the final budget package passed by the House and Senate protects and restores the Great Lakes.

2025 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities

The federal government plays an essential role in protecting clean water.

The post Trump Budget Proposal Slashes Federal Funding, Threatens the Great Lakes and Sets Up Showdown With Congress appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/05/trump-budget-proposal-slashes-federal-funding-threatens-the-great-lakes-and-sets-up-showdown-with-congress/

Trump Budget Puts Great Lakes at Risk

On: May 2, 2025

In: Combined sewer overflows, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration

CHICAGO, IL (May 2, 2025) – Efforts to keep the Great Lakes healthy and ensure the drinking water for 40 million people is safe to consume would be deeply harmed by the Trump Administration’s budget proposal announced today.

“We’re disappointed to see the President’s budget rejects core funding to restore safe drinking water, protect our communities from sewage and flooding, and implement federal clean water protections. We look forward to working with Congress to fund these vital Great Lakes programs,” said Joel Brammeier, President and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes.”

###

Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes dcarr@greatlakes.org

2025 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities

The federal government plays an essential role in protecting clean water.

The post Trump Budget Puts Great Lakes at Risk appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/05/trump-budget-puts-great-lakes-at-risk/

New PFAS bills aren’t the progress Wisconsin needs

On: March 17, 2025

In: Drinking Water

New PFAS bills aren’t the progress Wisconsin needs

There are two things we know for sure about PFAS. The first is that too many people in Wisconsin cannot safely drink their water due to contamination. The second is that corporations knew for decades that their products were toxic, but continued to use them which has led to our waters being contaminated.

Because we carry those two truths with us, we oppose Senator Wimberger’s SB 127 and SB 128, the latest PFAS-related proposals before our state legislature, as we stand with communities dealing with PFAS-contaminated drinking water. These bills would not provide immediate assistance to those who currently can’t use their water, and they give away too much of our power to hold polluters accountable for the damage they cause.

There are three big things the people of Wisconsin need to truly deal with the problem of PFAS.

People need safe drinking water. The bills don’t appropriate the funds the legislature set aside two years ago for PFAS clean up. As more areas test their drinking water and find PFAS, they need a flood of investment to help cities to improve their municipal water filtration systems and rural homeowners with private wells get grants to source clean drinking water. The bulk of this funding should come from responsible parties that caused the problem.

The so-called innocent landowner language in these bills is a solution in search of a problem. The Department of Natural Resources isn’t, and hasn’t, used its power under the Spills Law to go after landowners who weren’t the source of pollution. The real problem is how these bills have too broad of a definition of “innocent” landowners that could extend exemptions to entities like paper mills.

The real solution to PFAS is twofold. First, Wisconsin should follow the example of Minnesota and Maine and ban the use of most PFAS. Second, Wisconsin should adopt a precautionary approach so that chemicals cannot be used in the state until they have been shown to be safe.

Wisconsin needs to get tough on corporations responsible for pollution. Without state leaders focusing on holding chemical corporations accountable for the pollution their products caused, the responsibility and cost of cleaning up their mess falls to taxpayers. These bills would allow those exempt from enforcement to let the DNR clean up properties at our expense. The agency doesn’t have enough staff or funding to do this now, even if the bills would pass.

State leaders should be bending over backwards to make clean drinking water a top priority. The legislature has the power to invest in rural wells and municipal water filtration, bring drinking water standards up to federal levels, and support a full-court press litigation strategy against big polluters.

Be wary of the parts of SB 127 and 128 that would erode the strength of our state’s Spills Law. This is not the time to give away the power of a law that has worked for over 40 years so that legislators can appease the demands of corporate lobbyists.

The post New PFAS bills aren’t the progress Wisconsin needs appeared first on River Alliance of WI.

https://wisconsinrivers.org/pfas-sb127-sb128/

Water Advocacy at the Ohio Statehouse: A Call for Clean Water Policies

On: February 26, 2025

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water, Drinking water affordability, Environmental Justice, Lead service lines

L-R Helena Volzer, Senior Source Water Policy Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Kayla Wilkerson, Director of Budget & Finance, Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus, Kaitlyn May, Policy Advisor, Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus, Scott Stockman, Legal Counsel, Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus, Melanie Houston, Managing Director of Water Policy & Chief of Organizational Planning, Ohio Environmental Council

On Thursday, January 30, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, alongside our partners—The Nature Conservancy, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, The Junction Coalition, and the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC)—came together at the Ohio Statehouse to address the state’s most pressing water issues. Water Advocacy Day was a powerful opportunity to engage with lawmakers, share policy solutions, and advocate for clean, safe, affordable water for all Ohioans.

During the event, Helena Volzer, the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Senior Source Water Policy Manager, led an insightful presentation on the critical impacts of agricultural pollution. She highlighted how excessive nutrients—especially nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers and manure—continue to fuel harmful algal blooms across the Great Lakes, posing serious risks to public health, aquatic ecosystems, and local economies. The financial burden of this pollution is often passed down to communities, increasing drinking water costs and placing an unfair strain on low-income households.

“Agricultural pollution isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a public health and economic issue,” Volzer emphasized. “If we don’t act now, Ohioans will continue to bear the rising water treatment costs while ecosystems suffer.”

Ohio ranks second in the nation for the number of lead service lines, and many older homes still contain lead-based plumbing. Efforts are underway to eliminate lead from drinking water systems, but progress remains slow. Combined with the challenges of harmful algal blooms and agricultural runoff, stronger policies and funding solutions are urgently needed.

Throughout the day, advocates and policy leaders met with state representatives, senators, and aides to push for solutions to prioritize clean water. These discussions emphasized the importance of critical funding for conservation programs such as the H2Ohio program, Ohio’s flagship program to address water quality issues including agricultural runoff, household sewage treatment and wastewater infrastructure, wetland creation, and lead service line replacement. The Alliance and its partners urged lawmakers to strengthen policies that hold polluters accountable, increase investment in clean water infrastructure, and ensure water affordability remains a top priority.

The fight for clean water continues, and Water Advocacy Day was a crucial step in the right direction. Every Ohioan deserves safe, lead-free, and affordable drinking water.

The post Water Advocacy at the Ohio Statehouse: A Call for Clean Water Policies appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/02/water-advocacy-at-the-ohio-statehouse-a-call-for-clean-water-policies/

Veteran Great Lakes advocate cautions on prioritizing economic development over protecting the environment

On: February 18, 2025

In: artificial intelligence, Drinking Water, epa, Feature Homepage, groundwater, Groundwater Contamination, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Rolling back clean water protection, gutting agencies and defunding science, research and monitoring is a non-starter for the Great Lakes region, says Ann Arbor environmental advocate Laura Rubin.

She was reacting to the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin’s recently released economy-oriented plan for the agency under President Donald Trump.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/veteran-great-lakes-advocate-cautions-prioritizing-economic-development-over-protecting-environment/

Download the water infrastructure fact sheet.

How Washington Can Support the Great Lakes in 2025

On: January 29, 2025

In: Agricultural runoff, Combined sewer overflows, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, Green stormwater infrastructure, invasive carp, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Significant progress continues to be made in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, but much more needs to be done. The federal government plays a major role in this work by funding projects, administering programs, and enforcing rules. With a permanent presence in Washington, D.C., the Alliance for the Great Lakes advocates to federal decision makers to ensure the region’s voices are heard. We update and release our federal priorities each year.

Although increased federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allowed states and the federal government to address drinking and wastewater infrastructure backlogs, removal of lead water service lines, and the cleanup of toxic legacy pollution, we still have too many Great Lakers experiencing polluted water too often. Invasive species continue to threaten the lakes, nutrient runoff from agriculture causes toxic algae blooms, and plastic pollutes our shorelines and contaminates our drinking water.

In our 2025 federal policy priorities, we’ve identified opportunities for the 119th Congress and the Trump Administration to address these challenges in collaboration with states and local communities. Many of these priorities are familiar systemic problems that take time to resolve. But as we’ve shown through efforts like stopping invasive carp, working on a big challenge for a decade or more is often what it takes to finally get the right solution.

For the upcoming year, Congress and the Trump Administration must work together to pass an annual federal budget to provide states with sufficient federal resources to fix our ailing water infrastructure; enact a Farm Bill that will reduce the flow of nutrient pollution into the lakes; maintain progress on key federal projects intended to stop invasive species, including the Brandon Road Interbasin Project; and provide funding for, and reauthorize, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to continue support for on-the-ground restoration projects benefiting many communities throughout the Great Lakes region. Water pollution, and the resulting health and economic burdens, fall unequally on people in cities and towns across the Great Lakes. Federal decision makers should shape policy to ensure that all Great Lakers have access to safe, clean, and affordable water.

Read on for full details of our 2025 Great Lakes federal policy priorities, or download the fact sheet to learn more.

Ensure clean water protects the health of people and natural resources

Clean water is a basic need for all. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress late in 2021 was an important down payment to fix the nation’s failing and outdated water infrastructure. The funding jump-started efforts to replace dangerous lead pipes, fix leaky pipes, and stop sewage overflows from entering our lakes and people’s homes.

However, the funding is only a start and recent surveys indicate that water infrastructure needs have grown in the last several years. EPA’s 7th national Drinking Water Needs Information Survey and Assessment, completed in 2023, and the Clean Watershed Needs Survey completed in 2024, estimate that the Great Lakes region will need at least $290.3 billion over the next twenty years to fix our water infrastructure problems. This is an increase from the last national surveys and indicates that federal funding is not keeping up with needs. As a result, we need to keep the pressure on Congress to provide additional funds for water infrastructure programs and to strengthen them to ensure that money reaches communities with the highest needs. One of the most important ways the federal government provides this infrastructure funding to states and municipalities is through State Revolving Funds.

In addition, in 2024 the EPA released its first-ever Water Affordability Needs Assessment, which found that 12.1 to 19.2 million households lack access to affordable water service. This is a major public health risk that compels urgent federal action. One of the recommendations in the report is for Congress to pass legislation establishing a national water affordability program. We agree and plan to work with our partners and Congress to advocate for the establishment of a national water affordability program.

In 2025, we urge Congress to:

Increase annual funding to at least $9.3 billion for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds
Set aside at least 20 percent of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as grants for green infrastructure projects such as green roofs, permeable pavement, and additional green spaces
Pass a federal ban on residential water shutoffs
Establish a federal program to provide financial assistance for water and sewer bills

In 2025, we urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to:

Require that states accepting federal funds increase funding and technical assistance for communities bearing the greatest burden of pollution so that they are equipped to apply for and receive funding through State Revolving Funds to replace toxic lead water pipes, repair malfunctioning sewers, and stop community flooding

Fund and reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is one of the most important tools in the region’s toolbox to protect and restore the lakes. The program has provided funding with near-universal bipartisan and public support for on-the-ground restoration projects, from wetland restoration to cleaning up toxic hot spots. The GLRI also provides major economic benefits. For every dollar spent by the program, an additional three dollars of value is added to the regional economy. In 2024, EPA relied on up-to-date science and extensive input from across the Great Lakes to issue the five-year Action Plan IV for the program to address the most critical threats to the region. The GLRI is also supporting significant progress to address the removal of toxic legacy pollution at Areas of Concern, a number of highly degraded areas that require extensive remediation throughout the Great Lakes.

In 2025, we urge Congress to:

Fund the GLRI with at least $475 million for FY 2026
Reauthorize the GLRI program at $500 million per year for five years from FY 2027-2031

In 2025, we urge the Environmental Protection Agency to:

Propose the authorized level of GLRI funding at $475 million for FY 2026
Make progress on finishing cleanup of most Areas of Concern by 2030, and implement Action Plan IV to address community needs for Great Lakes restoration

Download the Great Lakes restoration fact sheet.

Pass a Farm Bill that prioritizes clean water

Agriculture is the largest unaddressed source of nonpoint pollution in the Great Lakes region. Nonpoint pollution is pollution that doesn’t come from a single identifiable source such as a pipe, but instead originates from many places over a wide area. This runoff from agricultural lands puts the Great Lakes at risk. It pollutes drinking water by causing toxic algal blooms, threatens wildlife, harms the tourism economy, and prevents people from enjoying recreation on the Great Lakes. Ultimately these problems demand that the agriculture industry demonstrate it can operate safely without fouling our water.

Every five years, Congress develops a “Farm Bill,” a major package of legislation that sets the agenda and funding for national farm and food policy. Congress passed one-year extensions of the Farm Bill in 2023 and 2024, so in 2025 Congress can pass a Farm Bill that ensures farms produce clean water, not pollution, along with their crops.

In 2025, we urge Congress to pass a Farm Bill that:

Increases funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs
Includes provisions to ensure accountability for farm conservation programs aimed at stopping runoff pollution from agricultural lands

Download the agriculture fact sheet.

Pass legislation to stop plastic pollution

Researchers estimate that 22 million pounds of plastic pollution enter the Great Lakes each year. Plastic pollution isn’t just an unsightly problem in our waterways. It’s estimated that humans ingest a credit card-sized amount of plastic each week, with unknown long-term consequences for our health.

For many years, efforts to stop plastic pollution put the responsibility on individuals, such as recycling. But only a fraction of plastic produced each year is recycled, leaving the remainder to end up in landfills or as litter that lands in our waterways. The alternative is to require plastic producers to be responsible for their products through their lifecycle, which is called extended producer responsibility. Congress has an opportunity to be a leader on this issue.

In 2025, we urge Congress to pass legislation that:

Makes plastic producers responsible for reduction of plastic waste
Reduces the federal government’s use of single-use plastics including polystyrene foam
Funds additional research on the public health impact of plastics

Download the plastic pollution fact sheet.

Protect the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species

Invasive species have caused irreparable harm to the Great Lakes ecosystem and cost the region billions of dollars at least since the mid-20th century. Preventing them from ever entering is the best way to protect the Great Lakes. Invasive bighead and silver carp are still a major risk. Established populations of invasive carp are only 50 miles from Chicago and Lake Michigan. But it’s not too late to prevent them from reaching the lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is implementing additional carp prevention measures at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. The facility is fully authorized by Congress, supported by the Great Lakes states, and is a critical choke point in the waterways leading to Lake Michigan. Congress and federal agencies must continue to support this project, which has broken ground and is under construction.

In 2025, we urge Congress to:

Provide federal funding to initiate the design and engineering phase for the second increment of construction (the first increment is underway) at the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, which is intended to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes

In 2025, we urge the Army Corps of Engineers to:

Continue implementing the first phase of construction at the Brandon Road Interbasin Project
Initiate planning, design, and engineering for the second increment of construction so that it can be completed in time for the second increment to follow seamlessly when the first increment is complete

Download the invasive species fact sheet.

Join Us February 20

Join the webinar to learn more about these critical issues. You’ll hear from members of our team who presented our federal priorities to members of Congress in meetings at the Capitol.

The post How Washington Can Support the Great Lakes in 2025 appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/01/how-washington-can-support-the-great-lakes-in-2025/

Spotlight on complexity of bottled water issues, as BlueTriton exits Ontario

On: December 6, 2024

In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, great lakes news collaborative, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, Ontario, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Spotlight on complexity of bottled water issues, as BlueTriton exits Ontario

Activist group, Water Watchers, had reason to celebrate last month when water bottler BlueTriton announced it will cease operations in Puslinch, Ontario in January, 2025. The group’s website beamed “We Won” and said the exit was a “historic win for water justice.”

To get a better understanding of the issues surrounding bottled water in Ontario, Canada, Great Lakes Now contacted Arlene Slocombe, executive director of Water Watchers and McMaster University Professor, Dawn Martin-Hill and founder of the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/12/spotlight-on-complexity-of-bottled-water-issues-as-bluetriton-exits-ontario/

Safe Drinking Water Act at 50: what Wisconsin can do to protect water

On: December 5, 2024

In: Drinking Water

Safe Drinking Water Act at 50: what Wisconsin can do to protect water

December 16 is the 50th anniversary of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. A broad coalition of local and statewide environmental and public health advocacy groups came together this week to ask legislators for meaningful action to protect the drinking water of Wisconsinites.

Together, we gathered the facts, made our case, and asked for three avenues of policy change for our drinking water, from investing in public water infrastructure, to removing barriers from groundwater standards and future-oriented pollution prevention steps.

These actionable steps are things we can do at the state level. It’s our responsibility to ensure clean drinking water is available to all Wisconsinites: urban or rural, rich or poor. Without clean water, our economy, our lives and our future are at risk.

Wisconsin legislators:

No matter who we are or where we live, all of us want to live in communities where we can turn on the tap and know the water coming out of it is safe to drink – both for us, and the people we love.

Fifty years ago, Republican President Gerald Ford signed the Safe Drinking Water Act into law, which promised to protect our drinking water. Fast forward to today, and it is clear: Wisconsin has not used the Safe Drinking Water Act to fully protect our communities.

Across the state, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites are still forced to protect themselves and their families from harmful contaminants by relying on five-gallon water jugs for everyday tasks like brushing their teeth, washing dishes, mixing baby formula, and preparing meals. PFAS, lead, and nitrate contamination are of particular concern due to their impact on our health across a wide range of Wisconsin communities.

PFAS are dangerous, man-made chemicals tied to increased cholesterol levels, thyroid disease, certain cancers, and pregnancy complications. To date, ninety-one public water systems need financial resources to protect their drinking water from PFAS, and there is more we need to do to deliver support to the one-third of Wisconsinites who rely on private groundwater wells for their drinking water.
No level of lead in drinking water is safe. Elevated blood lead levels in children are associated with hearing loss, lower IQs, developmental delays, behavioral challenges, and emotional impacts like anxiety and depression. In some Wisconsin communities, as many as one in four children under six years old are considered lead poisoned. Wisconsin still has 150,000 lead service lines scattered across more than 70 communities.
Manure and fertilizer from industrial agribusiness contain dangerous pathogens, bacteria, and chemicals that when managed improperly can contaminate our water and contribute to a host of serious health impacts. One common contaminant from manure and fertilizer is nitrate, which is linked to serious negative health effects including cancer, birth defects, and even infant death. An estimated 42,000 private wells exceed the health standard for nitrate.

Across our state, local community leaders are working hard to address these challenges and provide safe drinking water to their neighbors, but they need help from our state leaders.

Proactively tackling these issues with statewide investments would better-protect public health, and it would also save us up to $2.04 billion annually by helping families avoid the healthcare expenses associated with PFAS, lead, and nitrate contamination.

Without statewide investments, water utilities will either need to delay needed upgrades that leave families vulnerable to contamination, or substantially raise water rates to cover costs. This could make it even harder for Wisconsin families to pay their utility bills, a particularly concerning prospect when those same families are the ones facing contamination-related health costs.

Using the $4 billion surplus, we urge you to make a substantive investment in our drinking water infrastructure. Specifically, we recommend the following:

1. Support $953 Million for Our Public Water Infrastructure. The Safe Drinking Water Loan Program and the Clean Water Fund Program provide affordable financial assistance to municipalities for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects that protect public health and ensure compliance with state and federal standards. These are low-interest, revolving loan programs with some allowances for principal forgiveness based on community need and wealth. While they are receiving a boost in funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it is not nearly enough. EPA estimates Wisconsin will need $11.75 billion in water infrastructure investments over the next 20 years. However, given the local government levy limit and municipal debt limit constraints, communities are hesitant to take on additional debt. Investing grant money into our revolving loan programs will save us money in the long-term by preventing negative health impacts, and supporting more green stormwater infrastructure projects which mitigate costly flooding and improve water quality. We urge you to match the funding coming into these programs from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by supporting at least $953 million in water infrastructure grant funding for the 2025-27 biennium.

2. Support Policy Changes That Protect Private Well Owners. Approximately one-third of Wisconsinites rely on groundwater from private wells for their drinking water. The Safe Drinking Water Act has no jurisdiction over groundwater standards and therefore provides no protection or financial support for these Wisconsinites. Additionally, Wisconsin’s mechanism for setting health-based standards is broken, constrained by 2017 Wisconsin Act 57. This legislation prevents Wisconsin decision makers from finalizing public health-based standards based on their health and economic benefits. These barriers are evidenced by the Department of Natural Resources inability to finalize nearly 50 standards. We urge you to remove 2017 Wisconsin Act 57 as a barrier to protecting our communities.

3. Support Preventative Action. We cannot afford to continue poisoning our water, cleaning it up, and repeating that cycle. Preventing these contaminants from getting into our environment better protects the people we love, and saves us money on our utility bills. We urge you to support phasing out the use of PFAS in non-essential consumer products as several states have already done, allowing local rental inspection programs that ensure apartments are free from lead, and funding pay-for-performance programs that reward hard-working farmers who effectively prevent nitrate contamination.

We owe it to every Wisconsinite to address the unfulfilled promises of the Safe Drinking Water Act and to deliver long overdue relief to communities impacted by contaminants like PFAS, lead, and nitrate. We welcome any opportunity to work with you to help make it happen.

Thank you,
Signed:

Peter Burress, Government Affairs Manager
Wisconsin Conservation Voters

Laura Olah, Executive Director
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger

Dean Hoegger, President & Executive Director
Clean Water Action Council of NE Wisconsin

Shyquetta Mcelroy, Executive Director
COLE Lead Safe and Healthy Homes Project

Sharon Adams, Interim Executive Director
Community Water Services

Mike Bahrke, Executive Director
Door County Environmental Council

Janet Pritchard,
Director of Water Infrastructure Policy
Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Mandi McAlister, Co-Executive Director
Fair Future Movement

Alexander Malchow,Wisconsin Policy Coordinator
Faith in Place

Christine Reid, Secretary
Friends of the Forestville Dam, Inc

Charles Carlin, Director of Strategic Initiatives
Gathering Waters: Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts

Jenelle Ludwig-Krause, Executive Director
GROWW

Debra Cronmiller, Executive Director
League of Women Voters of Wisconsin

Diane Sixel, President
Learning Disabilities Association of Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Director
Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

Tony Wilkin Gibart, Executive Director
Midwest Environmental Advocates

Cheryl Nenn, Riverkeeper
Milwaukee Riverkeeper

Joe Fitzgerald, Policy and Advocacy Manager
Milwaukee Water Commons

Eric Rempala, Director/Content Editor
Oneida County Clean Waters Action

Allison Werner, Executive Director
River Alliance of Wisconsin

Kathy Allen, Chair
Sierra Club – Coulee Region Group

Jenny Abel, Chair
Sierra Club Great Waters Group

Elizabeth Ward, Chapter Director
Sierra Club of Wisconsin

Cindy Boyle, Secretary
S0H20

Mike Kuhr, Advocacy Chair
Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited

Cristina Carvajal, Executive Director
Wisconsin EcoLatinos

Beth Neary, MD, Co-President
Wisconsin Environmental Health Network

Meleesa Johnson, Executive Director
Wisconsin’s Green Fire, Inc

Michael Engleson, Executive Director
Wisconsin Lakes

Cody Kamrowski, Executive Director
Wisconsin Wildlife Federation

David Liners, Organizer
WISDOM

The post Safe Drinking Water Act at 50: what Wisconsin can do to protect water appeared first on River Alliance of WI.

https://wisconsinrivers.org/sdwa-anniversary-letter/

Students at Michigan State and Wisconsin win EPA funding for environmental health innovations

On: November 5, 2024

In: Drinking Water, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, Michigan, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin

Students at Michigan State and Wisconsin win EPA funding for environmental health innovations

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Isabella Figueroa, Great Lakes Echo

Student researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin are among the winners of an Environmental Protection Agency contest for innovations in sustainability.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/students-at-michigan-state-and-wisconsin-win-epa-funding-for-environmental-health-innovations/

Great Lakes Echo

2024 Election: State and Local Voters Consider Tax Increases for Water Protection

On: October 28, 2024

In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, Latest News, Minnesota, New York, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

2024 Election: State and Local Voters Consider Tax Increases for Water Protection

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

In: Climate change in the Great Lakes, Drinking Water, Drinking water affordability, Environmental Justice, Lead service lines, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/election-state-and-local-voters-consider-tax-increases-for-water-protection/

Circle of Blue

Healing Our Waters Conference Recap: Community Voices Leading the Charge for Water Justice

On: October 11, 2024

This year’s Healing Our Waters (HOW) Conference in Chicago brought together advocates, community leaders, and passionate individuals to address major issues facing the Great Lakes, including the pressing issue of water justice. The event focused on solutions, driven by people committed to ensuring that clean water and proper sanitation are accessible to everyone—especially those living in underserved communities. Many members of the Alliance for the Great Lakes team attended the conference, led panels, and participated in planning. Over the two days, one message was clear: this is a fight for fairness, and the people on the ground are leading the charge.

Spotlight on Chicago’s Fight for Water Justice

Meleah Geertsma, Director of Clean Water and Equity at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, facilitated a thoughtful discussion on how community advocates in Chicago have been battling against unfair land use and zoning policies that have harmed neighborhoods for decades. These advocates are using a civil rights legal framework to fight for water justice, focusing especially on issues like flooding and inadequate sanitation systems. They’re not doing it alone—there’s a collaborative effort with city government to make lasting changes.

Meleah began by asking the audience key questions, like how familiar they were with environmental justice cases such as Sackett, a recent environmental law case that weakened the Clean Water Act, and Zanesville, which relied on civil rights law to address denial of water service for a community in Ohio. The responses varied, revealing that while some cases are well-known, especially environmental law decisions, there’s still a need for greater awareness and education about how civil rights law can be an effective tool in the fight for environmental justice.

Left to Right: Gaby Wagener-Sobrero, Rob Weinstock, Olga Bautista and Meleah Geertsma

Insights from the Panel

The panel brought together three leaders who have been on the frontlines of the fight for water justice:

Olga Bautista, Executive Director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, shared how years of hard work resulted in a groundbreaking agreement between the City of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She emphasized that viewing water justice through a civil rights lens has been essential in getting local government to take long-overdue action.

Rob Weinstock, Director of the Environmental Advocacy Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, highlighted the importance of legal support for communities. He explained that his team’s mission is to equip these communities with the legal tools they need to keep pushing for the changes they deserve.

Gaby Wagener-Sobrero, Environmental Justice Manager for the Chicago Department of Environment, spoke about the shift happening within the city government. She explained that they are now prioritizing communities that have been neglected for too long, working closely with local advocates to address water justice concerns.

More than 40 people attended the panel. The presence of a representative from the City of Chicago, working alongside community and legal experts demonstrated the growing collaboration between the government and the people who are most affected by these issues.

Celebrating Success and Looking Forward

Angela Larsen, Director of Planning and a member of the conference host committee, played a key role in shaping several discussions throughout the event. Her focus was on celebrating the successes of community-driven efforts and ensuring that future strategies are built around the voices of those most impacted by water issues. Angela made it clear: if we want real change, community vision must be at the heart of every decision.

Tom Zimnicki, the Alliance’s Agriculture & Restoration Policy Director presented on his team’s work monitoring water quality and implementing conservation practices in the Lake Erie watershed. The goal of the project is to reduce harmful algal blooms that make the lake’s water toxic to fish, wildlife, pets, and people. They’re deploying sensors in key watersheds in the Western Basin of Lake Erie to track nutrient runoff, primarily from agricultural land uses, which enters streams and tributaries to Lake Erie and fuels the algal blooms.

Hands-On Learning at Oak Street Beach

Beyond the panels, attendees were able to take part in hands-on learning during a field trip to Oak Street Beach. Hosted by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Shedd Aquarium, and Save the Dunes, the field trip involved a beach cleanup as part of the “Great Lakes Litter Data” initiative. More than 26 participants joined in, removing over 2,000 pieces of litter—including plastic, foam, and cigarette butts. It was not only a chance to help clean the lakefront but also an opportunity to learn more about plastic pollution and the impact of community science.

The Power of Community Advocacy

From insightful panel discussions to hands-on activities, the HOW Conference was a demonstration of the power of community advocacy. It showed how real change happens when communities, legal experts, and government officials come together with a shared vision. This conference may be over, but the fight for water justice is far from finished as we work to ensure equitable access to clean water across the Great Lakes.

The post Healing Our Waters Conference Recap: Community Voices Leading the Charge for Water Justice appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/10/healing-our-water-conference-recap-community-voices-leading-the-charge-for-water-justice/

A decade after Flint, feds require nationwide lead pipe removal

On: October 8, 2024

In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, flint, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

A decade after Flint, feds require nationwide lead pipe removal

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/a-decade-after-flint-feds-require-nationwide-lead-pipe-removal/

Bridge Michigan

Joliet, Illinois, Plans to Source Its Future Drinking Water From Lake Michigan. Will Other Cities Follow?

On: October 1, 2024

In: Chicago, Climate change, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Illinois, Lake Michigan, Latest News, News, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin

Joliet, Illinois, Plans to Source Its Future Drinking Water From Lake Michigan. Will Other Cities Follow?

By Nina Elkadi, Inside Climate News

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

The aquifer from which Joliet, Illinois, sources its drinking water is likely going to run too dry to support the city by 2030—a problem more and more communities are facing as the climate changes and groundwater declines.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/joliet-illinois-lake-michigan-drinking-water/

Inside Climate News

Groundwater: Who’s in charge?

On: September 25, 2024

In: Authors, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Gary Wilson, great lakes news collaborative, Groundwater Contamination, Latest News, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

In the early 2000s a movement to address the plight of the heavily polluted and long neglected Great Lakes started to gain traction.

The goal was to bring the gravitas of the federal government to the issue and in 2004 President George W. Bush signed an executive order declaring the lakes a “national treasure.” An interagency task force was established to bring together the disparate efforts of various federal programs who had been working independently on Great Lakes issues.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/groundwater-whos-in-charge/

Retirements by water and wastewater plant operators are leading to workforce shortages

On: September 23, 2024

In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, Latest News, Michigan, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Retirements by water and wastewater plant operators are leading to workforce shortages

By Lester Graham, Michigan Public

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/retirements-by-water-and-wastewater-plant-operators-are-leading-to-workforce-shortages/

Michigan Public

Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear case with broad implications for PFAS cleanup

On: September 17, 2024

In: Advocacy, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Latest News, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear case with broad implications for PFAS cleanup

By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio

This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear a case that could have sweeping effects on state environmental regulators’ authority to force businesses to clean up PFAS pollution under the state’s spills law.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/wisconsin-supreme-court-to-hear-case-with-broad-implications-for-pfas-cleanup/

Wisconsin Public Radio

U.S. Movement to Limit CAFO Pollution Emboldened by Michigan Court Ruling

On: August 27, 2024

In: Agriculture, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

U.S. Movement to Limit CAFO Pollution Emboldened by Michigan Court Ruling

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/u-s-movement-to-limit-cafo-pollution-emboldened-by-michigan-court-ruling/

Circle of Blue

Former state toxicologist says nitrate drinking water standards are too lax

On: July 30, 2024

In: Drinking Water, Latest News, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin

Former state toxicologist says nitrate drinking water standards are too lax

By Henry Redman, Wisconsin Examiner

A former Wisconsin state toxicologist who was involved in creating the state’s nitrate standards for drinking water in the 1980s alleges the science that has informed those standards for decades is deeply flawed and the standards should be stricter.

Dave Belluck, who worked as a toxicologist for multiple states and the federal government, says that “the science is the science” and regulating agencies, including the U.S.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/former-state-toxicologist-says-nitrate-drinking-water-standards-are-too-lax/

Wisconsin Examiner

Michigan Bottlers Still Get Free Water, Despite Governor’s Tough Talk

On: June 6, 2024

In: Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, flint, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Michigan Bottlers Still Get Free Water, Despite Governor’s Tough Talk

By Anna Clark, photography by Sarahbeth Maney

This story was originally published by ProPublica.

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

When Gretchen Whitmer campaigned for Michigan governor in 2018, she took aim at Michigan’s bottled water industry — and the state policy that gave it unfettered access to free water.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/michigan-bottlers-still-get-free-water-despite-governors-tough-talk/

ProPublica

River Alliance urges Governor Evers to veto PFAS bill

On: February 26, 2024

In: Drinking Water, PFAS, water policy

River Alliance urges Governor Evers to veto PFAS bill

River Alliance of Wisconsin urges Governor Evers to veto Senate Bill 312.

“PFAS is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed in a serious way,” said River Alliance of Wisconsin Executive Director Allison Werner. “Instead we’ve watched the state legislature play partisan games to score political points with special interest groups like Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Senate Bill 312 is not the progress we need on PFAS.”

To be clear, Senate Bill 312 does not include an appropriation of funds. Without an appropriation, the bill does not spend the $125 million dollars that the Joint Finance Committee added to the state budget. It would take additional action by the legislature to approve the costs of the programs in SB 312. In addition, PFAS are widespread and expensive to clean up. $125 million is nowhere near enough to meet the current needs of homeowners and municipalities with polluted drinking wells.

If approved, SB 312 would make it harder for the state to hold those responsible for pollution accountable, and severely limit the amount of cleanup that can be done. SB 312 would also limit grant programs only to PFAS substances for which there are standards. As we have seen with the Department of Natural Resources’ past attempts to create groundwater standards for PFAS, this legislature has little interest in such standards being created, thus also limiting any potential impact of SB 312.

For those reasons, the Governor should veto SB 312.

For real progress on PFAS, the Joint Finance Committee should approve the DNR’s request from last December that would allow them to do more testing, get clean drinking water to those who need it, and begin cleanups. The state legislature can and should also let the DNR move ahead with improving groundwater standards on PFAS in drinking water.

“When we play a partisan game with our water, all Wisconsinites lose in the protection of our health and our environment,” said Werner.

This message is made possible by generous donors who believe people have the power to protect and restore water. Support our work with your contribution today.

The post River Alliance urges Governor Evers to veto PFAS bill appeared first on River Alliance of WI.

https://wisconsinrivers.org/veto-sb-312/

Download the water infrastructure fact sheet.

Top 5 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities for 2024

On: February 20, 2024

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, invasive species, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Significant progress continues to be made in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, but much more needs to be done. Although increased federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment Act these last two years has allowed states and the federal government to address some key issues, including water infrastructure and the cleanup of toxic legacy pollution, we still have too many Great Lakers experiencing polluted water. Invasive species continue to threaten the lakes, nutrient runoff continues to negatively affect our water quality, and plastic pollutes our beaches and drinking water.

In our 2024 federal policy priorities, we’ve identified the top five opportunities for Congress and federal agencies to address these challenges. Many of these priorities are familiar and are carried over from last year when Congress made little progress on substantive legislation. For the upcoming year, Congress and the administration must address key issues. These include passing an annual federal budget to provide states with sufficient federal resources to fix our ailing water infrastructure; enacting a Farm Bill that will reduce the flow of nutrient pollution into the lakes; maintaining progress on key federal projects intended to stop invasive species; and providing funding and reauthorization for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to continue support for on-the-ground restoration projects.

Equity and justice are embedded throughout these policy priorities and must be considered at every step of the federal decision-making process to ensure that all Great Lakers have access to safe, clean, affordable water. Repairing the long-term harm from environmental injustices isn’t a one-off action and federal decision-makers must prioritize disadvantaged communities where the burden of pollution and the lack of essential services often hit the hardest. Congress and the administration must ensure that community voices are at the table – and listened to – from the beginning of all decision-making.

Read on for full details of our 2024 Great Lakes federal policy priorities, or download the fact sheet to learn more.

Increase water infrastructure funding, prioritize funding for communities most in need

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress late in 2021 was an important down payment to fix the nation’s failing and outdated water infrastructure. The funding will jump-start efforts to replace dangerous lead pipes, fix leaky pipes, and stop sewage overflows.

However, the funding is only a start. EPA’s 7^th national Drinking Water Needs Information Survey and Assessment, completed just last year, estimates that the Great Lakes region will need at least $225.2 billion over the next twenty years to fix our water infrastructure problems. This is an increase from the last national survey and indicates that federal funding is not keeping up with needs. Currently, the infrastructure bill will provide Great Lakes states with an additional $1.8 billion per year for the next five years. It is clearly not enough. We need to keep the pressure on Congress to provide additional funds for water infrastructure programs. Additionally, funding programs must be structured to ensure that money reaches communities with the highest need, such as those with many lead pipes.

In 2024, we urge Congress to:

Increase annual funding to at least $9.3 billion for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds
Increase by $1 billion annual funding levels for lead service line replacement and emerging contaminants
Set aside at least 20 percent of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as grants for green infrastructure projects such as green roofs, permeable pavement, and additional green spaces
Pass a federal ban on residential water shutoffs
Establish a federal program to provide financial assistance for water and sewer bills

In 2024 we urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to:

Require that states accepting federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 are increasing funding and technical assistance for disadvantaged communities so that they are equipped to advance through the SRF selection process
Issue a final Lead and Copper Rule requiring cities to meet ambitious timelines for lead service line replacement

Pass a Farm Bill that prioritizes clean water

Agriculture is the largest unaddressed source of nonpoint pollution in the Great Lakes region. Runoff from agricultural lands puts the Great Lakes at risk. It pollutes drinking water, threatens wildlife, harms the regional economy, and prevents people from enjoying recreation on the Great Lakes.

Every five years, Congress develops a “Farm Bill,” a major package of legislation that sets the agenda and funding for national farm and food policy. Congress passed a one-year extension of the Farm Bill in 2023, so in 2024 Congress can pass a Farm Bill that ensures farms produce clean water, not pollution, along with their crops.

In 2024, we urge Congress to pass a Farm Bill that:

Increases funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs
Includes provisions to ensure accountability for farm conservation programs aimed at stopping runoff pollution from agricultural lands
Reduces funding for concentrated animal feeding operations

Download the agriculture fact sheet.

Pass legislation to stop plastic pollution

For many years, efforts to stop plastic pollution put the responsibility on the end-user, such as recycling. But only a fraction of plastic produced each year is recycled, leaving the remainder to end up in landfills or as litter that lands in our waterways. The alternative is to require plastic producers to be responsible for their products through their lifecycle, which is called extended producer responsibility. Congress has an opportunity to be a leader on this issue.

In 2024, we urge Congress to pass legislation that:

Makes plastic waste producers responsible for its reduction
Reduces the federal government’s use of single-use plastics, including polystyrene foam
Funds additional research on the public health impact of plastics

Download the plastic pollution fact sheet.

Protect the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species

Invasive species have caused irreparable harm to the Great Lakes ecosystem and cost the region billions of dollars since the late 1980s. Preventing them from ever entering is the best way to protect the Great Lakes. The battle against invasive species is focused on two fronts – stopping invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes and cleaning up ship ballast tanks.

Established populations of invasive carp are only 50 miles from Chicago and Lake Michigan. But it’s not too late to prevent them from reaching the lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed constructing additional carp prevention measures at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. The facility is a critical choke point in the waterways leading to Lake Michigan. Congress and federal agencies must continue to support this project.

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened the Great Lakes to direct ocean-going shipping. Unfortunately, ships brought invasive species along for the ride in their ballast tanks. Although regulations to clean up ship ballast tanks have reduced introductions, loopholes remain for “lakers,” ships operating solely in the Great Lakes. The U.S. EPA can close that loophole.

In 2024, we urge Congress to:

Include language in the next Water Resources Development Act to authorize 100 percent federal funding for the annual operations and maintenance of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, which is being implemented to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes

In 2024, we urge federal agencies to take the following actions:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should execute a Project Partnership Agreement with the State of Illinois for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project so that the project may proceed to phase 1 construction this fall and continue public participation for the project’s implementation
The U.S. EPA should issue final rules requiring all vessels operating on the Great Lakes, including lakers, to clean up their ballast tanks

Download the invasive species fact sheet.

Fund, update, and reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is one of the most important tools in the region’s toolbox to protect and restore the lakes. The program provides funding for on-the-ground restoration projects, from wetland restoration to cleaning up toxic hotspots. In addition to environmental benefits, GLRI funding garners an additional 3-to-1 return in economic benefits.

While we need continued investment in Great Lakes restoration, the strategy guiding the GLRI was developed almost 20 years ago and needs an update. Federal agencies should revise the Great Lakes restoration strategy to address the next generation of threats to the lakes, including climate change and long-standing environmental injustices. In addition, the program’s authorization will expire in 2026, so action will be needed by Congress in the near future to reauthorize and extend the GLRI program.

In 2024, we urge Congress to:

Fund the GLRI with at least $450 million in FY 2024
Reauthorize the GLRI program at $500 million per year for five years from FY 2027-2031

In 2024, we urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take the following action:

U.S. EPA should issue the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan IV to address environmental injustice, climate resilience, and the next generation of risks to the Great Lakes

Download the Great Lakes restoration fact sheet.

Tell Congress: Protect the Great Lakes in 2024

Too many Great Lakers experience polluted water – whether it’s lead-tainted tap water or algal blooms fouling waterways. Invasive species threaten our lakes. Plastic pollutes our beaches and drinking water.

Take Action

The post Top 5 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities for 2024 appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/02/top-5-great-lakes-federal-policy-priorities-for-2024/

DC Update: Are Great Lakes Priorities Advancing After a Year of Divided Government?

On: January 24, 2024

In: Agricultural runoff, Drinking Water, Environmental Justice, great lakes restoration, invasive species, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Don Jodrey, Director of Federal Government Relations

This blog is part of a series of updates from Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Government Relations, with his view on Great Lakes policy from Washington, DC.

At the beginning of 2023, we announced an ambitious Great Lakes federal policy agenda. We noted that it was the start of a new Congress and an era of divided government. We predicted that there were likely to be major policy disagreements between the Republican House, the Democratic Senate, and the Biden administration that might result in a stalemate or lack of progress on some issues, particularly where legislation is required.

We were correct in anticipating major policy disagreements, but we did not envision how dysfunctional the year would be in this Congress where a very small group of conservative House members have managed to delay action on some of Congress’ most basic tasks, including preventing the Congress from passing an annual budget for the federal government.

Major funding disagreements for water infrastructure

As we approach the year mark after we released our federal priorities last year, we note that Congress has enacted another short-term continuing resolution until early March for the fiscal year which started last October. And although the House and Senate leadership have agreed upon a top-line number for domestic spending, it is unclear when final spending levels will be resolved between the House and Senate among the 12 bills that fund the government. There are major disagreements between the House and Senate over the level of funding for water infrastructure with the House proposing more than $1.7 billion in cuts from levels supported by the Senate. This would reduce the funding available to communities to address drinking water and wastewater issues.

Farm Bill discussions continue

Another legislative casualty this year was the Farm Bill. The House and Senate were unable to advance a new five-year Farm Bill. Instead, they agreed to a one-year extension of the current program. We continue to encourage Great Lakes members to support increased funding for conservation programs, as well as provisions to ensure accountability for conservation programs that address harmful agricultural runoff pollution, particularly in Lake Erie. We are pleased that Representatives Marcy Kaptur from Ohio and Mike Gallagher from Wisconsin have introduced the Healthy Farms Healthy Watersheds Act to reduce nutrient runoff and thereby reduce harmful algal blooms. The legislation would help farmers reduce phosphorus pollution by better targeting farm bill conservation dollars where they would have the most impact.

Plastics legislation is introduced

Discussions continue in Congress on efforts to control plastic pollution. Several key pieces of legislation have been introduced in the House and Senate. First, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin reintroduced “The Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act” to address the problems posed by plastic pellets in our waters, including the Great Lakes. The bill would prohibit the discharge of plastic pellets and other pre-production plastics into the Great Lakes and waterways across the country. Plastic pellets, like other microplastics, pose a danger to human health, fish, wildlife, and ecosystems. In addition, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley has reintroduced the “Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act” which provides a comprehensive approach to plastic pollution reduction by creating a national policy and requirements for extended producer responsibility which would require corporations to take responsibility for post-consumer management of plastic products and packaging. Other legislative efforts include bills that would impose an excise tax on the production of virgin plastic, as well as legislation that would ban the use of polystyrene foam. It is unlikely that any of these efforts will become law in this Congress, but we will continue to support them and educate members on the harmful environmental impacts caused by plastic pollution.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative continues to receive strong bipartisan support

One program that continues to have robust bipartisan support is the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The House proposes to fund this program at the current funding level and the Senate proposes a $5 million increase. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s goals are: fish that are safe to eat, water that is safe for recreation, a safe source of drinking water, clean up Areas of Concern, eliminate harmful algal blooms, prevent the introduction of new invasive species and control existing invasive species, and protect and restore habitat to sustain native species.

States step up to fund invasive carp protections

Following up on last year’s Congressional authorization to change the Brandon Road project’s construction cost share to 90 percent federal and 10 percent state, the Brandon Road project received funding boosts this year from the States of Illinois and Michigan. The combined $115 million will cover the entire state share of the estimated construction costs for the project. The next step is for the State of Illinois and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to sign a project partnership agreement so that construction can begin in 2024. This project is critical to keeping invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

Environmental Protection Agency takes action

This past year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took several actions that affect the Great Lakes. First, the agency issued its 7th national Drinking Water Needs Assessment survey that assesses the health of the nation’s drinking water infrastructure. For the first time, the assessment included information on the number of lead service lines in each state. Unfortunately, Great Lakes states water infrastructure needs have increased since the last national drinking water needs assessment was completed. Collectively, EPA estimates that the Great Lakes region needs at least $225.3 billion over the next twenty years to fix failing water infrastructure.

EPA also proposed a supplemental rule to regulate ballast water in the Great Lakes. This is necessary to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic invasive species. Although EPA proposes to exempt existing Lakers (ships that do not leave the Great Lakes) from installing ballast water treatment systems, EPA does propose requiring that new Lakers, or those constructed after 2026, install ballast water treatment. We provided extensive comments to EPA recommending that all Lakers be required to install ballast water treatment systems. The agency’s final rule is expected later this year.

Lastly, EPA is updating the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Strategy by developing its next action plan, which will cover the next five years of funding for this program. We have recommended that EPA address environmental justice and climate change along with its environmental restoration priorities. A draft plan will be released for public comment later this year.

Looking ahead, your voice matters

Although not all our priorities advanced this past year, your voice makes a difference. Contact federal decision-makers about the Great Lakes issues that you care about. Great Lakes members of Congress need to hear from you about prioritizing funding to ensure every community has safe drinking water. They need to hear what federal legislation or existing programs would help address environmental concerns in your community, like harmful algal blooms or reducing plastic pollution. Let your members of Congress and other federal decision-makers know how important clean and healthy Great Lakes are to you.

Protect the Great Lakes & Our Communities

Too many Great Lakers experience polluted water – whether it is lead-tainted water coming from taps in homes or algal blooms fouling beaches. Visit our Action Center and learn how you can take action.

Take Action

The post DC Update: Are Great Lakes Priorities Advancing After a Year of Divided Government? appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/01/dc-update-are-great-lakes-priorities-advancing-after-a-year-of-divided-government/

Water Infrastructure: Getting Great Lakes Water to the People

On: January 22, 2024

In: Drinking Water, Drinking water affordability, Lead service lines

For our Diving Deep for Solutions series, we commissioned author and journalist Kari Lydersen to examine big issues facing the lakes today and how our expert team at the Alliance for the Great Lakes is growing to meet the moment.

Residents of our Great Lakes states are surrounded by freshwater, yet for many, access to clean, safe, and affordable water is impacted by historic disinvestment or lack of local resources to improve infrastructure, notes Jenna Voss, Alliance for the Great Lakes Program Manager for Clean Water & Equity.

Indeed, many people across the Great Lakes region can’t depend on this spectacular water resource because failing or antiquated pipes and pumps contaminate water on their way to taps and flood basements and discharge sewage into rivers and lakes during heavy rains. These challenges will only get worse with climate change, as heavier rains overwhelm water systems and hotter temperatures increase the risk of toxins and pathogens contaminating drinking water.

Lead that contaminates drinking water from pipes poses a serious health risk in many communities, and drinking water can also be contaminated with “emerging contaminants” – toxic chemicals that are not widely regulated or monitored. These include chemicals from pharmaceuticals and pesticides that contaminate water through run-off or wastewater, and PFAS – thousands of “forever chemicals” from industrial processes and products.

Even as drinking water may be unsafe, it is also unaffordable for many, forcing them to choose between paying water bills and other costs.

The Alliance is proud to collaborate with coalition partners to lead the push for vastly increased investment and equity in water infrastructure and affordability. The $50 billion in federal dollars available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 offers hope for real change, but ongoing policy reform and community engagement is needed to make sure water infrastructure investments are made in effective and equitable ways, including addressing high water bills.

“Protecting and enhancing the Great Lakes ecosystem – including human health and access to safe, affordable water – should be a priority. Public health is central to creating a vibrant and thriving Great Lakes community,” said Voss. “Long-term water affordability needs to be prioritized in state and federal policy and requires dedicated investment, much like our investments in supporting watershed health.”

New investment, new opportunities

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes important revisions to and added funding for State Revolving Funds (SRFs) for clean water and drinking water. These programs offer low-interest loans and grants. The law allocates new supplementary funding of $11.7 billion each over five years to the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, plus $5 billion for addressing emerging contaminants and $15 billion for lead service line replacement. The new funding comes on top of existing annual base funding appropriated by Congress.

The federal SRF programs are designed to support projects that help communities meet the requirements and goals of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, respectively. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) has long been a way to address combined sewer overflows when rainwater overwhelms wastewater systems and forces the release of untreated sewage into rivers and lakes. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) addresses the risk from lead pipes and other water distribution challenges.

Voss noted that just last year, the EPA, for the first time, examined lead service lines in its Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment.

“The inclusion of lead service lines in the survey was really important,” said Voss. “Hopefully, having more data to tell us where SRF funding is most needed will enhance states’ abilities to make a dent in the crisis.”

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, almost half the payments for lead service line replacement in disadvantaged communities must be forgivable loans – essentially grants – and almost half the total drinking water funds must be spent on disadvantaged communities.

The law also says a quarter of loans allocated to fight emerging contaminants like PFAS through drinking water infrastructure will be forgivable. Finally, the law reduced the

amount states had to pay to match the federal loans through 2023 – from 20% to 10% — taking some burden off states in the initial years of BIL funding.

Loans and grants for clean water infrastructure are available to municipalities, non-profits, and private entities, like homeowners’ associations and watershed groups. Almost half of the loans are also forgivable if municipalities meet affordability criteria or advance energy efficiency and sustainability targets.

Voss noted that while the dollars are primarily federal, states have broad authority in deciding how they are spent. Each state is required to submit an Intended Use Plan (IUP) to the federal government outlining how the state plans to spend the federal funds for water and infrastructure during that fiscal year, and the public has the chance to comment on these plans. Ultimately, these plans have a massive influence on clean water outcomes in the Great Lakes.

To equip NGOs and community organizations with the tools and understanding to navigate these layers of water infrastructure policy and to help guide states through this process with a focus on equity and climate resilience, the Alliance launched the SRF State Advocates Forum in 2021, in partnership with the Environmental Policy Innovation Center, PolicyLink, and River Network. The forum has helped more than 50 organizations engage with state SRF administrators and submit comment letters on state Intended Use Plans.

“The SRF program could be quite powerful in addressing lead service lines and water affordability problems because it has longevity,” said Voss. “Multi-year funding is needed to make sure there is long-term investment in communities, not just upfront capital where the community is later left with the bill.”

Building Healthy Communities with Systemic Change

Detroit has been a poster city for the water infrastructure crisis, with environmental justice implications, as Black residents are disproportionately affected by lack of access to quality drinking water and by basement flooding, even while faced with unaffordable water bills and denial of flooding compensation claims.

As in neighboring Flint and other cities around the country, many metro Detroit residents deal with drinking water that can be dangerously contaminated with lead and other toxins, even as it is unaffordable for some families.

Monica Lewis-Patrick, President and CEO of the community organization We the People of Detroit, emphasized that the city of Detroit not only needs to overhaul its water infrastructure but needs to do it in a way that prioritizes existing residents without contributing to inequality and displacement.

“In my mind there’s two things,” she said. “One is making sure the infrastructure is being invested in so it’s going to be to the benefit of the residents who are in the city now,” not only aimed at attracting new and wealthier residents.

Second, the jobs and economic stimulus created by the overhaul need to benefit residents who have suffered for too long from inadequate investment. In support of building long-term climate resilience, Mayor Duggan’s administration released the Detroit Climate Strategy in November 2023.

Healthy Water, Healthy People

The particular emphasis on clean water during the pandemic spotlighted the epidemic of water shutoffs in Detroit and other low-income communities across the Great Lakes. In Detroit, shut-offs were linked to higher rates of COVID-19 and disproportionately affected elderly and Black people.

Lewis-Patrick decried the “racialized narrative” that “Black people just woke up one day and didn’t pay their bills,” citing water rates that have more than doubled in recent decades, far outpacing wage growth, with inadequate supports for those living on fixed incomes.

Lewis-Patrick pointed to a study by Dr. Nadia Gaber featuring Detroit and showing the psychosocial impacts of not having secure access to clean water.

“Even outside of the highly concentrated Black and brown communities of the urban core, poor white folks are affected too,” she said. “Every human being deserves clean, affordable water.”

In the work of protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, it’s critical that no one is left behind. For many in the region, water flowing from the tap and running through our water systems is the primary way people connect to the Great Lakes.

“A healthy Great Lakes region is one where every person can wake up knowing our shared water will be there for them and their family,” said Joel Brammeier, Alliance president & CEO. “Water connects us all. That’s why we’re working to make sure everyone who lives here can rely on the lakes every day.”

The post Water Infrastructure: Getting Great Lakes Water to the People appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/01/water-infrastructure-getting-great-lakes-water-to-the-people/

Program to provide cash for pregnant women in Flint, Michigan, and families with newborns

On: January 11, 2024

In: AP, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, flint, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Program to provide cash for pregnant women in Flint, Michigan, and families with newborns

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A program aimed at helping remove families and infants in Flint, Michigan, from deep poverty will give $1,500 to women during mid-pregnancy and $500 each month throughout the first year after the birth.

Enrollment opened Wednesday for Rx Kids, lauded by officials as the first of its kind in the United States.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/ap-program-to-provide-cash-for-pregnant-women-in-flint-michigan-and-families-with-newborns/

The Associated Press

Great Lakes Now sits down with director of Flint water crisis film “Lead and Copper”

On: December 22, 2023

In: Books, Authors, Art and Music, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, Feature Lead, flint, History and Culture, infrastructure, Interview, Latest News, Lead, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

Great Lakes Now sits down with director of Flint water crisis film “Lead and Copper”

William Hart, director of a documentary about the Flint water crisis called “Lead and Copper,” joined Great Lakes Now’s Anna Sysling for a discussion about the film.

The small team began producing the film in 2016, and with the 10-year anniversary of the beginning of the crisis coming up in April 2024, Hart said they wanted to get it out and ready to screen around that time.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/great-lakes-now-sits-down-with-director-of-flint-water-crisis-film-lead-and-copper/

GLN Editor

PFAS experts gather to address growing chemical crisis

On: December 19, 2023

In: Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Great Lakes, Kathy Johnson, Latest News, Michigan, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Summit, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

PFAS experts gather to address growing chemical crisis

In light of the ongoing PFAS crisis, stricter groundwater regulations were part of a Michigan statewide effort to protect resident’s health and improve water quality. This was before 3M corporation sued the state to invalidate these new rules. 3M prevailed in the lower courts and the state is currently awaiting a decision for an appeal filed with the Michigan Supreme Court.

In: Climate change in the Great Lakes, Drinking Water, Drinking water affordability, Environmental Justice, Lead service lines, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/pfas-experts-gather-address-growing-crisis/

Kathy Johnson

Reflections from COP28: A Journey of Global Impact and Local Stewardship

On: December 15, 2023

Note: This blog was written by Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement Crystal M.C. Davis.

Attending the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai was an incredible experience, one that I was fortunate to be a part of thanks to the Black Environmental Leaders Association (BEL). As a founding member and board member, it was amazing to see how the organization’s support brought our mission to a global stage, showing just how far our collective efforts in environmental advocacy can reach.

Celebrating the Role of Black Environmental Leaders

Our delegation’s presence at COP28 was a testament to the organization’s commitment to environmental advocacy and its impact on a global scale. I was privileged to represent not only the Alliance for the Great Lakes but also the voices and perspectives that BEL leaders bring to the forefront of environmental justice.

Global and Local Interplay: Understanding Our Collective Impact

At COP28, the interconnectedness of local and global environmental efforts became increasingly clear. The insights I gained there have deepened my understanding of how our regional work across states and cities aligns with national and global environmental initiatives. It’s evident now more than ever that our individual efforts have profound global implications. This revelation was a recurring theme throughout the conference, emphasizing the significant impact of water stewardship and innovation on a global scale. COP28 was not just about global dialogues; it was about finding local relevance in these discussions. The insights gained from the conference will be instrumental in shaping our approach to water and climate issues in the Great Lakes region. The shared knowledge and strategies from the global stage will help us develop more effective local solutions.

Water Stewardship: An Economic Imperative

The conference illuminated an essential truth: water stewardship and innovation are not only environmental responsibilities but also make sound economic sense. This alignment of environmental, racial, health, and economic justice was a key focus, with several sessions exploring the financial aspects of climate action. The discussions at COP28 reinforced the notion that environmental conservation is intrinsically linked to broader economic strategies.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes: Bridging Justice and Environmental Action

At the Alliance for the Great Lakes, we’ve recognized the intertwined nature of environmental, racial, health, and economic justice. COP28 served to reaffirm this understanding, highlighting how environmental initiatives, especially those focused on water, are crucial in building a just and sustainable economic future. Our commitment to these principles was echoed in the global discourse at the conference, reinforcing the value and urgency of our work.

Forward with Renewed Vision

Reflecting on the experiences and lessons from COP28, I am filled with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity. As we move forward, the Alliance for the Great Lakes is more equipped than ever to play a pivotal role in fostering environmental justice and economic sustainability, both regionally and globally.

Together, we are making strides toward a future where environmental stewardship and economic progress go hand in hand.

The post Reflections from COP28: A Journey of Global Impact and Local Stewardship appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/12/reflections-from-cop28-a-journey-of-global-impact-and-local-stewardship/

Groundwater on the rocks: WRI-funded research will map naturally occurring contaminants in public wells across Wisconsin

On: November 1, 2023

In: Drinking Water, Geogenic contaminants, groundwater, Matt Ginder-Vogel, Midwest Cambrian Ordovician Aquifer System, radium

Pumped from the vast layers of bedrock beneath our feet, groundwater is the source of drinking water for two-thirds of people living in Wisconsin. According to geochemist Matt Ginder-Vogel, what’s in that water is largely influenced by what’s in the rock.

Matt Ginder-Vogel is researching geogenic contaminants in public wells across Wisconsin. Photo credit: UW–Madison Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

“Groundwater is not a lake underneath the ground. It’s water that’s in tiny pore spaces in the rock,” said Ginder-Vogel, an associate professor in the UW–Madison Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “So, it really interacts with the rocks around it.”

Under the right conditions, this interaction can cause naturally occurring or “geogenic” contaminants—like radium, arsenic, uranium and manganese—to leach from bedrock into groundwater.

Just where geogenic contamination is occurring in the state and how are the questions Ginder-Vogel and his team of graduate students are hoping to answer in new research funded by the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.

Savannah Finley and Juliet Ramey-Lariviere are both graduate students working on the project. They’re digging through drinking water quality data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to identify municipal wells with high levels of contaminants. The goal is to provide a snapshot of geogenic contamination across the state so that folks know what’s in their water.

“We want to give a health progress report of our overall aquifer and say—here’s what we have. Here are the contaminants that we’re looking at,” said Finley.

Juliet Ramey-Lariviere. Submitted photo.

Savannah Finley. Submitted photo.

She and Ramey-Lariviere are working on a map that will show contaminant hotspots and the underlying bedrock in those locations to determine if there is a relationship between the two.

“The hope is, once we have this data, to lay it all out on top of one another and look at the different bedrock formations and hopefully try to tie in the bedrock formation with the different contaminants that we’re seeing,” said Finley.

The team is focused on public wells in the Midwestern Cambrian Ordovician Aquifer System, a horseshoe-shaped region that roughly occupies the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin. Once wells are identified, they’ll collect both water and rock samples and begin experiments in the lab, which will reveal the amount of contamination leaching from the samples and how fast it’s occurring.

“We’ll be taking rock sections and grinding them up and looking to see what comes off the rocks,” said Ginder-Vogel. “You expose them to water and see what partitions into the water. Then you can manipulate the conditions of water to release other contaminants.”

The team will then use these findings to create a model that identifies hotspots around the state prone to geogenic contamination. Ginder-Vogel hopes the model will raise awareness of the problem even if water utilities aren’t currently experiencing issues. Concentrations of naturally occurring contaminants can change over time. Take, for example, the city of Waukesha.

“[Waukesha] didn’t always have troubles with radium. But when they started pumping more groundwater—and the Chicago suburbs were also pumping more groundwater and were changing the flow path of the water—[Waukesha] started to have more and more trouble with radium,” said Ginder-Vogel.

A map of Wisconsin showing wells tested for radium and those that exceed drinking water standards. Wells that exceed standards are concentrated in the eastern half of the state. — A map of Wisconsin showing wells tested for radium and those with drinking water that exceeds the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standard set by the EPA. Wells exceeding MCL are concentrated in eastern Wisconsin. Image credit: Savannah Finley and Juliet Ramey-Lariviere

“Once you’ve seen that, you can’t help but ask, is it happening with other things, other naturally occurring contaminants like arsenic?”

Ginder-Vogel said increased water use is what’s driving the changing concentrations. Pumping more water pulls groundwater through the aquifer in different ways and allows water to interact with bedrock it hadn’t before, picking up new contaminants.

“People who think about groundwater often think about it being this unchanging pool beneath the ground, but with all the water that we use and the way we move water around right now, there’s the possibility for lots of change,” he said.

Unfortunately for water utilities dealing with high levels of geogenic contaminants, the solution isn’t an easy or cheap one. Geogenic contaminants don’t biodegrade or go away. “They’re metals,” said Ginder-Vogel. “You can’t destroy them and remediate them. You can only move them from one place to another.”

One solution is to install treatment systems that remove contaminants from drinking water. It’s an expensive option, however, and small municipalities may not have the resources to support such an endeavor. Water utilities may also choose to rebuild a well in such a way that it avoids rock formations with high amounts of contaminants.

Ginder-Vogel’s hope is that the team’s research helps municipalities develop a plan before geogenic contamination becomes a problem. While they can’t change the bedrock, they can be strategic about how they pump water.

Said Ginder-Vogel, “We’re trying to be smart about our water resources.”

The post Groundwater on the rocks: WRI-funded research will map naturally occurring contaminants in public wells across Wisconsin first appeared on WRI.