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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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

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

Inside Climate News and Grist

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Wisconsin DNR expands private well PFAS testing to five Oneida County townships

By Katie Thoresen, WXPR

This story was originally published by WXPR. WXPR is a community-licensed public radio station serving north central Wisconsin and adjacent areas of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Listen to their stories here.

People on private wells in five Oneida County Townships in Wisconsin may be offered free PFAS testing.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/wisconsin-dnr-expands-private-well-pfas-testing-five-oneida-county-townships/

WXPR

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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

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

Inside Climate News and Grist

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Despite U.S. research resistance, Great Lakes aims to be Silicon Valley for water

MILWAUKEE – The confluence of the Milwaukee and Menominee rivers, in the downtown core of Wisconsin’s largest city, is a prime vantage to assess the collection of assets that define the past and future of Great Lakes water use, and the array of technology development encompassing the region’s water.

Together and in complement, universities, research labs, tech incubators, water-focused businesses, and forward-thinking utilities here and in other cities are pushing for something greater than the sum of their parts.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/despite-u-s-research-resistance-great-lakes-aims-to-be-silicon-valley-for-water/

Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

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In: Authors, Chicago, Detroit, Feature Detroit, Feature Homepage, Feature-Chicago, Gary Wilson, Illinois, infrastructure, land subsidence, Latest News, Michigan, News, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Sinking cities: Great Lakes cities not immune from under-recognized threat

Significant areas of the Earth’s surface across continents are gradually sinking and that process brings environmental, social and economic consequences to urban centers in the United States. Great Lakes cities Detroit and Chicago are among those at risk.

That’s the conclusion of a recent study conducted by Columbia University researchers, published by the science journal Nature Cities.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/sinking-cities-great-lakes-cities-not-immune-from-under-recognized-threat/

Gary Wilson, Great Lakes Now

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In: Detroit, Feature Detroit, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Southwest Detroit homes flooded, families displaced by water main rupture

By Isabelle Tavares, Planet Detroit

This article was republished with permission from Planet Detroit. Sign up for Planet Detroit’s weekly newsletter here.

Manuel Nolasco stood in frigid air outside his flooded Southwest Detroit home early Tuesday, chipping away at thick ice chunks that had frozen his car wheels in place.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/southwest-detroit-homes-flooded-families-displaced-by-water-main-rupture/

Planet Detroit

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After water main break, officials say homes in Detroit’s Southwest will get repairs covered

By Adam Yahya Rayes and Sarah Cwiek, Michigan Public

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/after-water-main-break-officials-say-homes-in-detroits-southwest-will-get-repairs-covered/

Michigan Public

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In: Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, PFAS, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Blue Tech challenge aims at gathering business solutions to Great Lakes problems

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

A business competition to tackle environmental and infrastructure issues in the Great Lakes kicked off last week.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/blue-tech-challenge-aims-at-gathering-business-solutions-to-great-lakes-problems/

Interlochen Public Radio

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In: Authors, Detroit, Feature Homepage, Forests and Plants, Habitat Restoration, infrastructure, John Hartig, Latest News, Michigan, News, Recreation and Tourism, Science, Technology, Research, Tourism, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Great Lakes Moment: Connecting people to nature through The Great Lakes Way

A recent Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan report documents substantial progress in creating The Great Lakes Way — an interconnected set of greenways and water trails stretching from Port Huron, Michigan on southern Lake Huron to Toledo, Ohio on western Lake Erie.

In 2000, the Community Foundation polled metropolitan Detroit communities about obstacles to building greenways.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/01/great-lakes-moment-connecting-people-to-nature-through-the-great-lakes-way/

John Hartig

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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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

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

Great Lakes Echo

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How northern Michiganders can help people affected by hurricanes

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

Hurricane Milton made landfall last week in Florida, even as communities across the southeast are still reeling from Hurricane Helene.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/how-northern-michiganders-can-help-people-affected-by-hurricanes/

Interlochen Public Radio

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A decade after Flint, feds require nationwide lead pipe removal

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

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.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

Bridge Michigan

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Midwest States Struggle to Fund Dam Safety Projects, Even as Federal Aid Hits Historic Highs

By Kristoffer Tigue, 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.

MINNEAPOLIS—A record amount of federal aid will soon flow to states to help fix, replace or demolish their aging dams, many of which are under increasing pressure as climate change fuels more frequent and severe extreme weather events.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/midwest-dam-safety-projects-funding/

Inside Climate News

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In: Feature Homepage, infrastructure, Lake Michigan, Latest News, Michigan, News, Recreation and Tourism, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Tourism, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
You can’t stop the lake

In Douglas, Michigan, houses dot the coast of Lake Michigan, with wooden stairs — some newly built, others with broken steps — descending the steep hillside to give shoreline residents access to the narrow sandy beach. When winds grow fierce, waves crash against the boulders and large sandbags stacked along the base of these homes.  

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/you-cant-stop-the-lake/

Astrid Code

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Elk Rapids wants to help its shoreline through new state Climate Corps program

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

Elk Rapids is surrounded by water.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/elk-rapids-wants-to-help-its-shoreline-through-new-state-climate-corps-program/

Interlochen Public Radio

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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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

GLN Editor

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Chicago Suburbs, Running Out of Water, Will Tap Lake Michigan

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/chicago-suburbs-water-tap-lake-michigan/

Circle of Blue

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‘Solar grazing’ is a way for farmers and solar companies to use land. But there are challenges

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

Along busy M-72 in Traverse City, rows of huge solar panels gleam in the sun.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/08/solar-grazingr-farmers-solar-companies-land-challenges/

Interlochen Public Radio

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In: Chicago, Climate change, Collaboration, flooding, Illinois, infrastructure, Latest News, News, Science, Technology, Research
A Community-Led Approach To Stopping Flooding Expands

By Maia McDonald and Katrina Pham, Borderless

This piece is part of a collaboration that includes the Institute for Nonprofit News, Borderless, Ensia, Planet Detroit, Sahan Journal, and Wisconsin Watch, as well as the Guardian and Inside Climate News. The project was supported by the Joyce Foundation. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/08/community-led-approach-stopping-flooding-expands/

Borderless Magazine

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In: Collaboration, infrastructure, Latest News, Milwaukee, News, Wisconsin
Milwaukee residents fear more flooding due to planned I-94 expansion

by Jonah Chester, Wisconsin Watch

This piece is part of a collaboration that includes the Institute for Nonprofit News, Borderless, Ensia, Planet Detroit, Sahan Journal, and Wisconsin Watch, as well as the Guardian and Inside Climate News. The project was supported by the Joyce Foundation. 

Janet Haas two decades ago saw potential in a field of thistle, grass and bushes that Milwaukee County had neglected: Valley Park, nestled between the Menomonee River to the west and homes in one of Milwaukee’s most racially diverse neighborhoods to the east.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/08/milwaukee-residents-fear-flooding-due-planned-i-94-expansion/

Wisconsin Watch

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Workers needed to fulfill America’s infrastructure goals

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/workers-needed-to-fulfill-americas-infrastructure-goals/

Circle of Blue

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Energy News Roundup: $400 Million hydrogen fuel plant coming to Michigan, U.N. panel recommends shutting down Line 5

Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

 

Illinois

Jury convicts all four defendants in ComEd bribery trial — and fires a warning shot at Michael Madigan — Chicago-Sun Times

A jury finds all four defendants guilty of bribery conspiracy in a case involving former ComEd executives accused of arranging jobs, contracts and money for allies of former democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/05/energy-news-roundup-hydrogen-fuel-plant-michigan-un-recommends-shutting-down-line-5/

Kathy Johnson

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Flush with cash, Michigan lawmakers try again to pass state septic code

By Kelly House and Lauren Gibbons, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/05/flush-with-cash-michigan-lawmakers-try-again-to-pass-state-septic-code/

Bridge Michigan

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In: Alex Hill, Authors, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Detroit, Feature Homepage, flooding, Great Lakes maps, Illinois, Indiana, infrastructure, Latest News, mapping, Michigan, Milwaukee, Minnesota, News, Ohio, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Mapping the Great Lakes: Flood risk

Love staring at a map and discovering something interesting? Then “Mapping the Great Lakes” is for you. It’s a monthly Great Lakes Now feature created by Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines cartography, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/mapping-the-great-lakes-flood-risk/

Alex Hill

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Climate change, Detroit, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Detroit, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, One Detroit, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Climate change could spell catastrophe for Detroit’s older homes

Climate change continues to have an impact on some residents in Southeast Michigan. For the average homeowner, when it rains, one may grab a good book, kick their feet up and relax under the gloomy skies. For Detroit resident Semone Alexander, every time it rains, it’s anything but relaxing.  

As heavy rains have become more frequent in the last half-decade, so has the flooding of Alexander and other residents’ homes— so much so that many of the homes have fallen into disrepair. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/climate-change-could-spell-catastrophe-for-detroits-older-homes/

Jonathan Shead

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Great Lakes Take Global Stage

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/great-lakes-take-global-stage/

Circle of Blue

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In: Advocacy, Detroit, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Detroit, Feature Homepage, infrastructure, Michigan, Municipalities, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, water, water affordability, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Detroiters can get another 1,125 gallons of water under discount program

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

By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Great Lakes Echo

The city of Detroit and a nonprofit agency recently added 1,125 gallons of water per person per month to a program that prevents water shut-offs in low-income households.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/detroiters-can-get-another-1125-gallons-of-water-under-discount-program/

Great Lakes Echo

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U.S. Judge: Flint has 5 months to finish long-overdue lead pipe replacement

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/flint-5-months-finish-lead-pipe-replacement/

Bridge Michigan

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Right to water: Could 2023 be the year Michigan ends shutoffs?

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/right-to-water-2023-michigan-ends-shutoffs/

Bridge Michigan

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In: Authors, Climate change, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Feature Milwaukee, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Kari Lydersen, Latest News, Milwaukee, News, Science, Technology, Research, sewers, wastewater, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Smart sewers relieve stress on systems and wastewater officials, saving energy and funds

This is the second story in a series of reports from the Great Lakes News Collaborative that will investigate contemporary water pollution challenges in the Great Lakes region. Called Refresh, the series will explore the shortcomings in the Clean Water Act and how Michigan and other Great Lakes states can more completely address water pollution in the next 50 years.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/smart-sewers-systems-wastewater-officials-energy-funds/

Kari Lydersen

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Road Salt, A Stealthy Pollutant, Is Damaging Michigan Waters

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

This is the first story in a series of reports from the Great Lakes News Collaborative that will investigate contemporary water pollution challenges in the Great Lakes region. Called Refresh, the series will explore the shortcomings in the Clean Water Act and how Michigan and other Great Lakes states can more completely address water pollution in the next 50 years.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/road-salt-damaging-michigan-waters/

Circle of Blue

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Book chronicles human, water connection from nomadic to modern times

If you want to peg the date when humans began the trek to modernity facilitated by a relationship to water, start 10,000 years ago, says Giulio Boccaletti, author of Water: A Biography. That’s when nomads became settlers, began farming and their existence started to depend on rivers and streams.

The book continues through the millennia to modern times when America constructed the Hoover Dam and created the Tennessee Valley Authority which Boccaletti says “became a model for the world.”

Boccaletti is a scientist and an honorary research associate at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at University of Oxford.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/book-chronicles-human-water-connection-from-nomadic-to-modern-times/

Gary Wilson

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Multi-state group prepares Great Lakes basin for effects of climate change

Climate change is already affecting the Great Lakes. One group is urging the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to coordinate their efforts to make the Great Lakes basin more resilient to those changes.

Climate change contributed to the rapid rise in Great Lakes water levels a few years ago.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/group-great-lakes-basin-effects-climate-change/

Michigan Radio

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Michigan Democrats aiming to erase business friendly environmental laws

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/michigan-democrats-aiming-erase-business-friendly-environmental-laws/

Bridge Michigan

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In: AP, biden administration, Budget, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Latest News, Michigan, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Shipping and Ports, St. Mary's River, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Biden’s signature advances major projects in water bill

By Michael Phillis, Associated Press

President Joe Biden signed a large defense bill on Friday that includes a water bill that directs the Army Corps of Engineers on major infrastructure projects to improve navigation and protect against storms worsened by climate change.

The biggest project by far this year is a $34 billion Texas coastal barrier featuring massive floodgates and other structures to protect the Houston region with its concentration of oil refineries and chemical plants, at risk during major hurricanes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ap-bidens-signature-advances-major-projects-water-bill/

The Associated Press

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Divided Congress: Smooth sailing or choppy waters for Great Lakes programs?

Since 2020 when Democrats swept into power by winning the presidency and taking control of both chambers of Congress, Great Lakes programs have had a tailwind of funding support from Washington.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided a $1 billion windfall for the region to accelerate clean up of the multiple toxic sites known as Areas of Concern that remain from the peak industrial period in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/smooth-sailing-or-choppy-waters-for-great-lakes-programs/

Gary Wilson

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In: Authors, Commercial Fishing, dam, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, fishing, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, James Proffitt, lake erie, Lake Erie-EPA, News, Ohio, Recreation and Tourism, Recreational Hunting and Fishing, Science, Technology, Research, Tourism, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Ballville Dam Removal: History, trends and impacts

For more than a century, a dam divided the upstream Sandusky River from Lake Erie. People got power, but fish were prevented from reaching native spawning grounds.

Then, four years ago, the dam came down, like hundreds around the Great Lakes region. It had been replaced as a power source years earlier, and environmentalists argued to restore the river’s natural course.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ballville-dam-removal-history-trends-impacts/

James Proffitt

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In: Budget, Drinking Water, Drinking Water News Roundup, Equity and Environmental Justice, Illinois, Indiana, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, Minnesota, News, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The States, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Drinking Water News Roundup: Report urges Michigan water-affordability strategy, $191 million to target Minnesota water and infrastructure projects

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.

Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

 

Illinois:

  • Midwest river towns looking for answers after forever chemicals found in water – Illinois Newsroom

This fall, the towns and rural farmsteads along the Mississippi River received alarming news about their drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/drinking-water-news-roundup-report-michigan-water-affordability-strategy-191-million-target-minnesota-water-projects/

GLN Editor

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Climate change, Collaboration, dams, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Recreation and Tourism, Science, Technology, Research, Tourism, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Uncertainty for Michigan rivers, residents as Consumers reconsiders its 13 dams

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/uncertainty-michigan-rivers-residents-consumers-reconsiders-13-dams/

Bridge Michigan

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In: Drinking Water, Drinking Water News Roundup, Illinois, Indiana, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, Michigan, New York, News, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Drinking Water News Roundup: Illinois EPA invests over $70M in drinking water projects, students receive funding for Ohio water quality research

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.

Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

 

Illinois:

  • Illinois EPA invests over $70M in wastewater, drinking water projects – Daily Journal

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will make more than $70.6 million in water infrastructure loans to local governments and sanitary districts for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2023.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-drinking-water-projects-students-ohio-water-quality-research/

GLN Editor

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In: Alex Hill, Authors, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Feature Homepage, great lakes map, Illinois, infrastructure, Latest News, map, mapping, Michigan, Milwaukee, New York, News, Ohio, Ontario, Quebec, Toronto, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Mapping the Great Lakes: Where do you live?

Love staring at a map and discovering something interesting? Then “Mapping the Great Lakes” is for you. It’s a monthly Great Lakes Now feature created by Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines cartography, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/mapping-the-great-lakes-where-do-you-live/

Alex Hill

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In: Budget, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, infrastructure, Latest News, Milwaukee, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, sewage, sewers, wastewater, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
How to steer money for drinking water and sewer upgrades to the communities that need it most

By Andrian Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The Conversation

 is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

When storms like Hurricane Ian strike, many people have to cope afterward with losing water service.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/money-drinking-water-sewer-upgrades-communities-need-most/

The Conversation

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In: Drinking Water, Drinking Water News Roundup, Indiana, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, Michigan, New York, News, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Drinking Water News Roundup: New water infrastructure funding, projects, programs

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.

Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

 

Indiana:

  • Water renovation project extends municipal water access to hundreds – The Indiana Gazette

Prior to the approximately $12 million project that connected Plumville and Crooked Creek water treatment plants, most residents in the area as well as the school district relied on well water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/drinking-water-news-roundup-new-water-infrastructure-funding-projects-programs/

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, e. coli, Feature Homepage, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, septic pollution, The States, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, water systems
As septic pollution roils Higgins Lake, Michigan lawmakers consider reform

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/septic-pollution-michigan-lawmakers-reform/

Bridge Michigan

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In: Climate change, Feature Homepage, flood damage, flooding, Floods, Groundwater Contamination, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
America’s summer of floods: What cities can learn from today’s climate crises to prepare for tomorrow’s

By Richard B. (Ricky) Rood, University of Michigan, The Conversation

 is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Powerful storms across the South, following flash floods in Dallas, Death Valley, St. Louis, Yellowstone and Appalachia, have left cities across the U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/americas-summer-of-floods/

The Conversation

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In: Article, Blue Economy, Climate change, Energy News Roundup, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Equity and Environmental Justice, Illinois, Indiana, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, News, Ohio, Ontario, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The Provinces, The States
Energy News Roundup: Green jobs, solar farms and the value of trees

Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

Illinois

Solar, storage projects set to bring jobs, tax revenue to Illinois coal communities — Energy News Network

Six retired coal plants in downstate Illinois will soon receive solar panels and become renewable energy storage sites.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/energy-news-roundup/

Kathy Johnson

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In: Drinking Water, infrastructure, Lake Michigan, Latest News, Milwaukee, Municipalities, News, oil infrastructure, Overflow, Policy, Recreation and Tourism, sewage, The Catch, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
The Catch: Pollution problems … and solutions

Broadcasting in our monthly PBS television program, The Catch is a Great Lakes Now series that brings you more news about the lakes you love. Go beyond the headlines with reporters from around the region who cover the lakes and drinking water issues. Find all the work HERE.

In Milwaukee, officials are working to eliminate combined sewage overflows that can pour pollution into local waterways including Lake Michigan.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/the-catch-pollution-problems/

GLN Editor

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In: Climate change, Detroit, environmental equity, Environmental Justice, equity, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Detroit, Feature Homepage, Feature Lead, health, housing, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News
When your home is filled with hazards, what can you do?

Poor housing conditions can have an effect on people’s health both mentally and physically by posing a threat to the family or individual living there, especially for young children and babies.

The health and wellbeing of residents are impacted especially in areas where there’s both industry and older housing.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/home-hazards-what-can-you-do/

Tynnetta Harris

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In: Budget, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, environmental equity, Environmental Justice, Equity and Environmental Justice, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
New laws make it easier for communities to access state financing for water infrastructure

By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio

Bipartisan legislation to help cities get money to fix their water systems has been signed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

A lot of Michigan’s drinking water systems are in bad shape.

“We have been very behind in maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure across the state,” Charlotte Jameson with the Michigan Environmental Council.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/new-laws-community-access-water-infrastructure/

Michigan Radio

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In: Feature Homepage, great lakes now, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Quiz, Science, Technology, Research
Homes, Invaders: The Great Lakes Now Episode Quiz

Great Lakes Now episodes often explore the human element of the Great Lakes along with the critters residing in the waters.

In “Homes, Invaders,” learn about how sea lampreys are an invasive and dangerous species and the efforts that are being done to control the sea lamprey population in the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/homes-invaders-episode-quiz/

Tynnetta Harris