As moratoria expire across the Great Lakes region, advocates say ongoing affordability and debt relief are key.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/water-shutoffs-debt-infrastructure/
As COVID-19 changed the pattern of life around the Great Lakes region in 2020, it also altered the pattern of Great Lakes drownings in unfortunate if predictable ways.
With larger than normal crowds and a fatigue with restrictions, the rise in drownings isn’t a surprise.
“You get no lifeguards, heavier beach crowds, more people who were just escaping their house in the heat, going to the beach, and you’re putting more people into a dangerous situation,” said Chris Houser, a professor in the school of environment at University of Windsor.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/drownings-increase-research-connection-covid-19-restrictions/
By Patrick Shea, Energy News Network
The discovery of a potential archaeological site in the Straits of Mackinac last fall has opened the door for a Michigan tribe to pursue a new, longshot legal strategy to stop the planned Line 5 pipeline tunnel project.
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians passed a resolution in January instructing its historic preservation office to begin compiling research for an application to classify the straits as a Traditional Cultural Property, a rarely used federal designation under the National Register of Historic Places.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/cultural-property-protection-michigan-line-5/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network.
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/michigan-fishing-rules-dnr-great-lakes/
CHICAGO (AP) — In the modest bungalows and two-flats of Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, there’s never a shortage of needed home repairs staring residents in the face. And then there is the less obvious but more ominous problem lurking in their pipes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/the-problem-within-biden-targets-lead-pipes-pushes-equity/
Waterfowl hunters began buying them nearly a century ago. Just after that, collectors joined the fun.
Since its inception in 1934 when Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act into law, the duck stamp (as it’s commonly known) has garnered more than $1 billion for habitat conservation in the national wildlife refuge system.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/duck-stamp-impacts-great-lakes-nationwide-refuge/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/scientists-bottom-food-web-great-lakes/
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Lawmakers approved two environmental bills Tuesday that critics say could damage the state’s ecosystems by scaling back current policy affecting water, energy and other resources.
A measure seeking to remove protections from Indiana’s already diminished wetlands would eliminate a 2003 law that requires the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to issue permits in a state-regulated wetland and end enforcement proceedings against landowners allegedly violating current law.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/ap-controversial-indiana-environmental-bills-near-passage/
FRANKFORT, Mich. (AP) — A popular summer town along Lake Michigan is trying to improve beach safety through technology.
Frankfort will use cellular phone networks and weather data to regularly update lights installed at the beach entrance and at the pier, 9 & 10 News reported.
Signs will explain the different lights and beach conditions.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/ap-lake-michigan-town-lights-beach-safety/
This article, first posted here, was republished with permission from Wisconsin Watch.
By Royce Podeszwa and Jim Malewitz, Wisconsin Watch
The state Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case that could determine whether the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources failed to adequately protect water from manure pollution when awarding a permit to a giant dairy farm in northeastern Wisconsin — or whether the agency lacks the authority to issue such restrictions.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/wisconsin-supreme-court-protect-water-farm-pollutants/
President Joe Biden last week announced a massive $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, including how the money will be spent and plans to pay for it.
He spoke Wednesday at the training facility for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he began his presidential campaign two years ago.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/regional-thoughts-some-reactions-from-various-great-lakes-leaders-on-president-bidens-infrastructure-plan/
As the pandemic wears on, antidepressant use is on the rise.
Claims for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors increased by 17% in Canada between 2019 and 2020, according to one report. In the United States, the number of prescriptions filled per week for antidepressant, anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia medications increased 21% between Feb.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/fish-study-pandemic-antidepressant-freshwater-ecosystems/
By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter
More than 60 organizations, including local governments, environmental and conservation groups and water management agencies, sent a letter to Indiana state legislators, asking them to consider policy changes instead of supporting a bill seeking to remove all state protections for Indiana wetlands.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/local-governments-environmental-organizations-indiana-legislators-state-wetland-protections/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/report-lake-michigan-more-storms-less-fish/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/michigan-governor-minnesota-landfills-wisconsin-business-dnr/
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Duluth’s mayor is pressing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate whether the agency is responsible for erosion along a six-mile stretch of Lake Superior beach.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Mayor Emily Larson sent a letter March 12 to the corps to investigate whether its maintenance work on shipping channels has caused erosion on Park Point.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/ap-duluth-mayor-army-corps-beach-erosion/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
The Eastern Seaboard has the Appalachian Trail, the Western Seaboard has the Pacific Rim Trail, and the Rocky Mountains has the Continental Divide Trail.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/great-lakes-way-southern-lake-huron-western-lake-erie/
Recently, the U.S. Congress passed a pandemic relief bill, that contains a number of water utility related provisions. Known as the American Rescue Plan of 2021, the bill includes $500 million to states and tribes to provide assistance to residents for water utility bills and a large sum of cash to the states to use for investments in drinking and wastewater infrastructure, among other things.
Just this March, an association of larger water providers sent a memo to their member utilities and municipalities about starting conversations with decision-makers regarding their need and desire for funding from this relief bill. Specifically, utilities may want to reach out to city managers, mayors, or similar local officials to advocate on behalf of the utility and municipality with the Governor’s office and state agencies for a portion of the funding. Chances are, many utilities in communities with lesser means or a smaller rate base are not receiving this information.
This could put many communities at a disadvantage for funding if conversations and their needs are not being elevated to Governors and the appropriate state agencies, particularly in communities where many residents are already struggling to pay their water bills.
We encourage you and your partners to reach out to your water utilities. Suggest the utility(-ies) talk with their local elected officials about communicating with the Governor and the appropriate state agency about:
How much money is needed to cover residents’ water bills and the utility’s water infrastructure priority issues in your locality, such as lead service line replacement, busted pipes that are leaking water, etc.
Press your utility and local elected officials to request these dollars be distributed based on percentage of poverty, not just looking at communities as a whole, but neighborhoods of poverty within cities that may have more means.
Don’t Wait. There is no clear guidance on when this funding will be disbursed to the states. But with other utilities making their case, now is the time for communities to begin dialogues with the Governor and state agency(-ies).
On March 23rd, 2021, Governor Whitmer’s office held a webinar outlining how $557 millon from the American Rescue Plan of 2021 for water related funding, coupled with other state funding sources, will be allocated in Michigan. The state will be providing the following:
For more information, please contact Kristy Meyer at kristy@freshwaterfuture.org, (231) 348-8200 ext. 7
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/policy-memo/12262/
With climate action on the state and national agenda, critics of Enbridge Line 5 warn that investing in new pipeline infrastructure undermines Michigan’s pathway to carbon neutrality. Experts say it’s not so simple.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/enbridge-line-5-tunnel-michigan-energy-future-or-bad-deal/
NEWBERRY, Mich. (AP) — Repairs and restoration are coming to three historic lighthouses in Michigan.
More than $126,000 in grant funding from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office have been awarded to the Crisp Point Light Historical Society, the North Manitou Light Keepers and St. Clair County Parks and Recreation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-grants-repairs-rehabilitation-3-lighthouses/
DETROIT (AP) — A judge on Friday rejected a sudden effort to extend Monday’s deadline to register for a share of a $641 million Flint water lawsuit settlement.
U.S. District Judge Judith Levy said she won’t upset a well-publicized 60-day deadline that was baked into a settlement involving Flint, the state of Michigan, residents who were exposed to lead-contaminated water, and other parties.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-judge-rejects-effort-to-extend-sign-up-for-flint-water-cash/
For two straight summers, residents of Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood watched water pour into basements and pool in streets, a result of coastal flooding that will become increasingly common throughout the Great Lakes as climate change progresses.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/climate-change-flooded-michigan-neighborhoods-pay-sea-walls/
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:
More than 8 of every 10 Illinoisans live in a community where brain-damaging lead was found in the tap water of at least one home during the past six years, a new Chicago Tribune analysis found.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/drinking-water-news-new-york-microplastics-pennsylvania/
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:
More than 8 of every 10 Illinoisans live in a community where brain-damaging lead was found in the tap water of at least one home during the past six years, a new Chicago Tribune analysis found.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/drinking-water-news-new-york-microplastics-pennsylvania/
The Great Lakes Now supervising producer, Rob Green, wants your help figuring out more about an old movie shot aboard a freighter. He’s done what he can to identify the ship, ports, time period and people in a mysterious black-and-white video he found in an online archive.
Green knows someone out there can help with more clues to answer: who shot this footage?
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/freighter-mystery-identify-people-places-historic-film/
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that the state will provide free bottled water to about 4,300 residents of French Island in La Crosse County due to concerns about groundwater pollution from PFAS “forever chemicals” that have been linked to causing cancer and a wide array of other illnesses.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-pollution-concerns-bottled-water-french-island/
As a public television initiative, Great Lakes Now talks, writes and, yes, tweets about our multimedia, multiplatform, engagement-focused approach to all things Great Lakes and freshwater.
This week we got some much-appreciated outside recognition for all that.
Our website won first place in the Michigan Press Association’s “Better Newspaper Contest” in the Open Class.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/show-website-facebook-events-media-awards/
As spring comes to the Great Lakes region and icy roads and sidewalks become a distant memory, a new study shows the salt we apply over the winter can linger in summertime rivers at alarming levels.
The University of Toronto study measured chloride in four Greater Toronto Area rivers and found it was high enough in many locations to put at least two-thirds of aquatic life at risk during early stages of their development.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/salt-levels-wintertime-de-icing-toronto-rivers-summer/
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday heard arguments over Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement project in northern Minnesota, which opponents are calling unnecessary due to an eventual decline in the demand for oil.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce, along with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and several Indigenous and environmental groups, argued before the three-judge panel that Enbridge failed to show long-term need for the Line 3 project.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-need-for-line-3-pipeline-argued-minnesota-appeals-court/
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — More than 30,000 registration forms have been received from people who want to participate in a $641 million Flint water lawsuit settlement.
The deadline is next Monday.
“The registrations are coming in at a pretty brisk pace but timing matters so I just want to repeat that deadline,” U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-more-than-30000-registrations-flint-water-deal/
Of the many possible new invasive threats to the Great Lakes, 144 stand out in particular, according to a study released in 2021.
The study lists 144 fish, plants and invertebrates that could invade the Great Lakes or expand their range within them. The species were listed by the risk of damage they pose to the Great Lakes environment or culture and the likelihood they’d be introduced by one of six pathways.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/great-lakes-invasive-species-early-detection/
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Chippewa tribal officials in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan have blasted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for putting on what they say was a poorly planned wolf season during which state-licensed hunters blew past their quota in a matter of days.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-chippewa-tribes-blast-wolf-hunt/
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The number of lake trout that are reproducing in Lake Champlain is up, meaning there is less of a need to stock the fish this year, biologists say.
A stocking program begun in the 1950s by Vermont, New York, and the federal government through the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative has in recent years been stocking 82,000 yearling trout in the lake annually.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-biologists-lake-trout-champlain/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/dam-traverse-city-fish-restoration-project/
A critical juncture is reached for providing water to rural communities around the region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/michigan-rural-water-systems-generations-inadequate-investment/
Chicago’s Joel Brammeier came of age advocating for the Great Lakes in an era when federal programs that are widely accepted today like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative were barely on the drawing board.
Brammeier started his advocacy work in 2001 when he managed habitat programs for the Lake Michigan Federation, which later became the Alliance for the Great Lakes as its mission expanded.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/great-lakes-environmental-justice-priority/
The first full-year report for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s much-publicized H2Ohio water quality initiative is out.
Introduced in 2019, the plan has already reaped benefits for Ohio residents and will continue to expand in its scope, according to officials charged with its implementation.
The report was offered in a web presentation by Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Laurie Stevenson.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/h2ohio-agency-directors-wetlands-lead-agriculture/
Hundreds of artistic entries from 4th and 5th grade students came in for this year’s Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Kids Clean Water Calendar Contest, and Great Lakes Now Host Ward Detwiler had to decide which drawings would be printed for each month.
“Fortunately, because I’d done this last year, I knew how hard it was going to be,” Detwiler said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/kids-calendar-art-contest-healthy-water-management/
I grew up on the Great South Bay on Long Island, New York, surrounded by beautiful wetlands. I still have memories of the bullrushes swaying in the ocean breeze on warm summer evenings. My family never took the area wetlands for granted, though; I knew how fragile they were even as a young child. My mother fought hard to protect a creek that ran behind our house by forming an association to fight against development that would have destroyed its wetlands. We won, and the land is still there.
In 2015, when a friend of mine told me about Freshwater Future, I had already been living along Lake Michigan for almost 15 years. While I hadn’t been part of the Great Lakes environmental community before, I was immediately drawn to the mission of protecting these important resources.
I was able to apply my non-profit accounting and management skills to help Freshwater Future improve its financial management practices. As I learned more about the organization, I realized we shared a passion – helping others expand their impact. That’s what Freshwater Future does.
When I hear about the local groups that Freshwater Future has supported, I think about how important that work is – helping people who are trying to make a difference but may not have the skills or resources to do it. It helps people like my mom and so many other grassroots groups realize their conservation goals.
Recently, my community faced a similar threat to local wetlands; one that still hangs in the balance. I’m proud to say my family fought to protect the land – starting a petition, providing testimony, making signs and protesting. As inspiration, I drew on the work my mom did and the work Freshwater Future and its partner organizations do every day.
Many of us take water for granted. We have that luxury because of groups like Freshwater Future that are fighting on our behalf to keep water clean and accessible to all.
As I approach the end of my term on the board this spring, I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed getting to know the board and staff, and how much they’ve taught me over the past 6 years. Thank you to all of you.
Karen Reinbold is the Health and Science Director at American Medical Association and lives and works in the Chicago area.
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/news/board-spotlight-karen-reinbold/
By Todd Richmond, Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Legislature moved Tuesday to kill limits on PFAS pollution and to allow therapists, counselors and social workers to continue to try to change gay and transgender people’s sexual orientation.
The Senate and Assembly both took up a bill blocking a state Department of Safety and Professional Standards rule that would have prohibited so-called conversion therapy.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-wisconsin-legislature-moves-to-kill-limits-on-pfas-protect-conversion-therapy/
WHITEHALL, Mich. (AP) — A change in Lake Michigan water levels has revealed a shipwreck from the 1880s that is visible in western Michigan for the first time since 2018.
Experts believe it’s the wooden spine of the Contest, said Craig Rich, director of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-shifting-sand-water-shipwreck-1880s/
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Powerful gusts linked to global warming are damaging water quality and creating a hazard for fish in Lake Erie and perhaps elsewhere in the Great Lakes, according to researchers.
Extremely high winds occasionally churn up deep water with low oxygen and high levels of phosphorus in Erie’s central basin and shove it into the shallower western section, creating a hazard for fish and insects on which they feed.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-scientists-climate-whipped-winds-great-lakes-hazards/
In the ongoing conflict over Line 5’s presence and future in Michigan, much of the debate has been between the Canadian energy company Enbridge, Inc. and the state of Michigan, or between Michigan environmentalists and Michigan businesses.
A recent joint committee session in the Michigan Senate heard from a third party: Canada.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/enbridge-line-5-debate-canadian-representatives-impact-economy/
Climate change in the Great Lakes region means more intense storms. Already some towns are finding they’re flooding where they never have before. One city in Michigan is finding the solution is nature.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/cities-natural-infrastructure-extreme-rain-events/
If you have the good fortune to gaze at a Great Lake – any Great Lake – sometime in this strange year, you’re not likely to spot a glaring example of President Joseph R. Biden’s new emphasis on protecting the environment.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t coming.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/air-wind-solar-great-lakes-energy-president-biden/
Last year when the Midland dams gave way, more than 21 billion gallons of water rushed into the Tittabawassee River. More than three and a quarter billion gallons of that ended up in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/wetlands-property-damage-save-lives-floods/
By Elena Bruess, 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/treaty-rights-line-5-oil-pipelines-controversial-history/
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration released a plan Friday to make sure Michigan will have enough propane if a controversial pipeline is shut down.
The strategy addresses a frequent objection to the Democratic governor’s demand that Enbridge Inc.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-whitmer-plan-supply-propane-line-5-pipeline/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/pfas-news-roundup-indiana-introduces-pfas-bills-michigan-citizens-unhappy-about-8-month-disclosure-delay/
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:
A boil water advisory announced Thursday for the town of Eaton has been lifted after the issue was repaired and testing showed the water was safe, the town announced Saturday night.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/drinking-water-great-lakes-lead-schools-minnesota-water-exhibit-wisconsin/
