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Dam Accounting: Taking Stock of Methane Emissions From Reservoirs

By Tara Lohan, The Revelator

This story originally appeared in The Revelator and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

This month regulators greenlighted a transmission line that would bring power generated from Canadian hydroelectric dams to New York City.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/stock-methane-emissions-reservoirs/

The Revelator

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Drinking Water News Roundup: $3M invested in Illinois water system, coal ash rule means safer water in Indiana

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 American Water Announces Investment of Over $3 Million in Sterling Water System During National Infrastructure Week – Business Wire

Illinois American Water is investing over $3 million to replace over 8,600 feet or 1.6 miles of water main throughout the Sterling Water System.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-water-system-coal-ash-indiana/

Tynnetta Harris

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Ontario faces uneven investment in water infrastructure

This is part two in a two-part series looking at the cost of water in Ontario. Read part one here, and find the Great Lakes News Collaborative’s series on cost of water in Michigan here.

Just how big an underinvestment Ontario is facing when it comes to the state of its drinking and wastewater infrastructure is difficult to tabulate.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ontario-uneven-investment-water-infrastructure/

Andrew Reeves

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Even in Canada, where water prices are low, aging infrastructure and rising costs are a problem

This is part one in a two-part series looking at the cost of water in Ontario. Find the Great Lakes News Collaborative’s series on cost of water in Michigan here.

Canadians living in the Great Lakes basin have perhaps become spoiled at the seemingly endless availability of water.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/canada-aging-infrastructure-rising-costs/

Andrew Reeves

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Report: Going off script, decisive action saved lives during 2020 dam disaster

By Mike Wilkinson and 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.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/decisive-action-2020-dam-disaster/

Bridge Michigan

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Water executive tells cities to “get creative” when it comes to replacing lead service lines

Lynn Broaddus has little patience for cities who focus on the reasons why they can’t replace lead service lines.

She understands that finances are a big part of the problem but says too often cities focus on the barriers, instead of what’s possible.

Broaddus is the recent past-president and now a trustee with the international group Water Environment Federation, a non-profit focused on increasing the awareness of the impact and value of water.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/water-executive-creative-replacing-lead-service-lines/

Gary Wilson

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PFAS News Roundup: 20M acres of farmland polluted, PFAS found in ‘nontoxic’ children’s clothes and car seats

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/pfas-news-roundup-farmland-polluted-pfas-childrens-clothes/

Natasha Blakely

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How Michigan state parks will spend a $250 million COVID windfall

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.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/michigan-state-parks-covid/

Bridge Michigan

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The Catch: A Great Lakes Authority?

Aiming to better coordinate efforts to restore the Great Lakes, promote related educational opportunities, and boost the region’s economic prospects, an Ohio legislator crafted a bill to create a federal Great Lakes Authority.

Since Rep. March Kaptur, D-Toledo, and several other Democrats introduced the bill in Congress this spring, not much has happened.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/the-catch-great-lakes-authority/

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Michigan’s ‘Very Big Opportunity’ in Infrastructure Windfall

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/michigans-infrastructure-windfall/

Circle of Blue

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Some Michigan water systems are overbuilt, underfunded. Are mergers the answer?

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/michigan-water-systems-overbuilt-underfunded/

Bridge Michigan

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Indiana Finance Authority COO Testifies at House Drinking Water Hearing

By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter

Federal funding mechanisms for improving Indiana’s water infrastructure work but need more flexibility to help eliminate lead service lines, PFAS and other issues, according to testimony from one of the state’s top finance officials.

Jim McGoff, Indiana Finance Authority chief operating officer and director of environmental programs, testified March 29 before the U.S.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/indiana-finance-authority-house-drinking-water-hearing/

Indiana Environmental Reporter

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High Cost of Water Hits Home

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/high-cost-water-hits-home-michigan/

Circle of Blue

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Short-changing Michigan local governments has resulted in deteriorating water systems and other services

By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/short-changing-michigan-local-governments-deteriorating-water-systems/

Michigan Radio

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AP analysis finds growing number of poor, high-hazard dams

By David A. Lieb, Michael Casey and Michelle Minkoff, Associated Press

Constructed four generations ago, the massive rock and clay dam at El Capitan Reservoir is capable of storing over 36 billion gallons of water, enough to supply every resident in San Diego for most of a year.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-analysis-growing-number-of-dams/

The Associated Press

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Nonprofit report points to outdated Clean Water Act for the miles of polluted rivers across the U.S.

In 1972, the federal Clean Water Act proclaimed an ambitious goal – “fishable, swimmable” waters across the U.S. by 1983. Today, just over half of assessed river and stream miles across the U.S. remain too polluted for swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, or as drinking water sources.

That assessment comes from a newly released report from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), a non-profit group founded in 2002 by former EPA enforcement attorneys.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/outdated-clean-water-act-polluted-rivers/

Sharon Oosthoek

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Who’s at fault for Midland dam failures? Pretty much everyone, report says

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.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/midland-dam-failures-report/

Bridge Michigan

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The report on Ontario’s natural resources the government didn’t want you to read

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.

From warming water to shifting growing seasons, Ontario is already seeing the effects of climate change. But for the most part, Doug Ford and his government say, the province’s natural resources are doing just fine.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/report-ontario-natural-resources/

The Narwhal

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Michigan’s lack of septic system regulations is causing problems for some of its most pristine lakes

By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/michigans-septic-system-problems-lakes/

Michigan Radio

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Michigan’s 20th Century water systems too big for its shrinking city populations

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

In 2014, the legacy problem of lead pipes throughout the nation came to a head in Flint, Michigan, when the city emergency manager’s decision to switch the water source and not treat it to prevent corrosion led to lead leaching from the pipes into the city’s drinking water.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/michigans-water-systems-city-populations/

Natasha Blakely

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Water woes loom for Michigan suburbs, towns after decades of disinvestment

By Kelly House

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/water-woes-michigan-suburbs-disinvestment/

Bridge Michigan

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Many Rural Towns Have Neglected Drinking Water Systems for Decades

By Lester Graham

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/rural-towns-drinking-water-systems/

Michigan Radio

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Madison mayor wants to spend $425K on PFAS filtration system

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway wants to spend $425,000 to design a system to filter PFAS chemicals out of a city well.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported Monday that the mayor said the system would be the first in Wisconsin designed to filter the so-called “forever chemicals” out of drinking water.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/madison-mayor-pfas-filtration-system/

The Associated Press

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New Ohio law eases state regulation of some streams

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State regulation of streams that flow temporarily after rainfall will be restricted under legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

Construction companies, the mining industry and other business groups say removing so-called ephemeral streams from regulation would make Ohio’s practice consistent with federal law.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ohio-law-state-regulation-streams/

The Associated Press

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Great Lakes Moment: Similarities between the Don and Rouge rivers, and one big difference

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.

There are many similarities between Toronto’s lower Don River and metropolitan Detroit’s Rouge River.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/great-lakes-moment-don-rouge-rivers/

John Hartig

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After Decades of Neglect, Bill Coming Due for Michigan’s Water Infrastructure

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

PONTIAC, Mich.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/bill-michigans-water-infrastructure/

Circle of Blue

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PFAS News Roundup: PFAS in face masks, McDonald’s and Burger King sued for PFAS in packaging

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/pfas-news-roundup-face-masks-fast-food-chains-sued/

Natasha Blakely

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River otters return to the Detroit River

On the cool morning of April 25, doctoral student Eric Ste Marie from the University of Windsor’s department of integrative biology went out for a walk with his partner along the Detroit River prior to an anticipated long day in his lab. Much to his surprise, he saw an animal pop its head out of the water.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/river-otters-detroit-river/

John Hartig

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Great Lakes News Collaborative examines Water’s True Cost

As the nation prepares to pour billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan with a special series of reports and events during May.  Reporters from Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now, and Michigan Radio have combined their resources for the most extensive coverage on the cost of water in Michigan to date.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-news-collaborative-waters-true-cost/

GLN Editor

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What’s missing from Doug Ford’s proposed expansion of the Ontario Greenbelt

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.

When the Doug Ford government first announced plans to expand Ontario’s Greenbelt, it called the move a “once in a generation opportunity.”

The initial concept, presented by Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark in February 2021, involved ambitious plans to include waterways under the Greenbelt’s protection and stretch its boundaries to encompass a large swath of land west of Toronto.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/doug-fords-expansion-ontario-greenbelt/

The Narwhal

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Join the Conversations: Events on “Water’s True Cost” will answer your questions about water infrastructure

Throughout the Great Lakes region and across the United States, water systems are aging.

In some communities, this means water bills that residents can’t afford or water that’s unsafe to drink. It’s also leading to increased pollution in some of Michigan’s most pristine lakes. From shrinking older cities and small towns to the comparatively thriving suburbs, the true cost of water has been deferred for decades.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/waters-true-cost-events/

GLN Editor

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Northern Indiana residents doubt outcome of coal ash cleanup

By Beth Edwards, Indiana Environmental Reporter

Some northern Indiana residents remain skeptical that communities in the area will be free of contamination from toxic coal ash, despite a renewed commitment by government agencies and one of the state’s biggest energy companies to clean up polluted sites and transition to renewable energy sources.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/indiana-residents-coal-ash-cleanup/

Indiana Environmental Reporter

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Minnesota Supreme Court to hear challenge in PolyMet case

By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a challenge by environmentalists over portions of a lower court ruling involving a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals in January reversed a 2018 decision by state regulators to issue PolyMet Mining Corp.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-minnesota-supreme-court-polymet-case/

The Associated Press

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Energy shift creates opening for ‘world’s largest batteries’

By John Flesher, Associated Press

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — Sprawled like a gigantic swimming pool atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan is an asphalt-and-clay pond holding enough water to produce electricity for 1.6 million households.

It’s part of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, which uses simple technology: Water is piped from a lower reservoir — the lake, in this case — to an upper one, then released downhill through supersized turbines.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-worlds-largest-batteries/

The Associated Press

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To build a new pipeline or not: Illinois city seeks Lake Michigan water

In less than a decade, Joliet, Illinois, could run out of water.

The city of 150,000 people, roughly 45 minutes southwest of Chicago, is facing a looming water crisis as the patchwork of underground wells and aquifers it currently uses for municipal water is drying up.

Joliet currently relies on the Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone aquifer system for its water.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/build-new-pipeline-illinois-lake-michigan-water/

John McCracken

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DNR restarts effort to set bacteria standards in groundwater

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources has restarted efforts to set standards for bacteria in groundwater after conservatives on the agency’s policy board killed the attempt in February.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that the board on Wednesday authorized a public hearing and comment period on a new rule-making process to set groundwater standards for E.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-dnr-effort-bacteria-standards-groundwater/

The Associated Press

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Drinking Water, Groundwater Contamination, Latest News, Michigan, News, PFAS, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, wastewater, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Research finds more PFAS coming out of wastewater treatment plants than going in

By Tracy Samilton, 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.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/research-pfas-wastewater-treatment-plants/

Michigan Radio

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In: benton harbor, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, Feature Lead, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The Catch, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
The Catch: Benton Harbor’s lead pipes and the plan to replace them

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.

Benton Harbor’s water problems aren’t new.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/the-catch-benton-harbor-lead-pipes/

Sandra Svoboda

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In: Advocacy, AP, Budget, legislation, News, Ohio, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, rain, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Ohio legislation eases state regulation of some streams

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State regulation of streams that flow temporarily after rainfall would be restricted under proposed Ohio legislation months in the works.

Construction companies, the mining industry and other business groups say removing so-called ephemeral streams from regulation would make Ohio’s practice consistent with federal law.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ohio-legislation-state-regulation-streams/

The Associated Press

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In: AP, Budget, Climate change, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Minnesota, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, water, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
US taps $420M to boost water supplies hit by climate change

By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials slated millions of dollars for rural water projects in several states, with the Biden administration looking to shore up infrastructure needs made more urgent by long-term drought conditions that have been exacerbated by climate change.

The U.S.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-420m-water-supplies-climate-change/

The Associated Press

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In: Collaboration, Energy, Equity and Environmental Justice, funding, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, Minnesota, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The States, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Minnesota bill aims to close a gap on funding for ‘pre-weatherization’ work

By Frank Jossi, Energy News Network

This story was first published on the Energy News Network and was republished here with permission.

A lack of state funding to help Minnesota homeowners clean up mold, asbestos and other hazards is limiting the reach of federal weatherization programs in the state, preventing some of those most in need from accessing benefits.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/minnesota-bill-funding-pre-weatherization-work/

Energy News Network

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In: Feature Homepage, great lakes restoration, History and Culture, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, John Hartig, Latest News, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, protection, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Great Lakes Moment: Historic Great Lakes agreement reaches golden anniversary

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 Great Lakes represent one-fifth the standing freshwater on the Earth’s surface, provide ecosystem services or benefits to approximately 34 million people living in the basin, and serve as the foundation for the $5 trillion regional economy that would be one of the largest in the world if it stood alone as a country.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-moment-historic-great-lakes-agreement-anniversary/

John Hartig

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In: AP, Budget, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Lead, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Recreation and Tourism, The States, Tourism, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Michigan Gov. Whitmer signs over $4.7B for infrastructure

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is investing more than $4.7 billion to improve infrastructure, including drinking water upgrades, internet access and fixing roads, bridges and dams.

The spending plan includes some of the biggest infrastructure investments in state history, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday before signing the bipartisan legislation in Grand Rapids.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-gov-whitmer-signs-4-7b-infrastructure/

The Associated Press

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In: AP, Drinking Water, Farming, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
DNR issues expansion permit for Kewaunee County factory farm

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced March 25 it will issue a permit that will make it harder for a Kewaunee County factory farm accused of contaminating drinking water to expand.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the permit caps the number of cows at the Kinnard Farms facility at about 8,000 head, the number of cows the farm currently houses.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/dnr-issues-expansion-permit-for-kewaunee-county-factory-farm/

The Associated Press

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In: AP, Budget, Detroit, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, flint, Grand Rapids, infrastructure, legislation, Michigan, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Recreation and Tourism, The States, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Michigan Legislature approves $4.8B infrastructure plan

By David Eggert, Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers approved $4.8 billion in spending March 24, mostly for infrastructure upgrades, with an influx of federal pandemic and other funds that will go toward water systems, roads, parks and other priorities including affordable housing.

The huge supplemental budget plan, which Gov.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-michigan-legislature-approves-infrastructure-plan/

The Associated Press

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In: clean water, Collaboration, fish, Fish, Birds and Animals, Forests and Plants, infrastructure, invasive species, Latest News, mussels, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
5 Reasons to Love (and Protect) Freshwater Mussels

By Tara Lohan, The Revelator

This story originally appeared in The Revelator and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

In September the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing 23 species from the federal list of endangered species — not because they’d rebounded, sadly, but because they are believed to be extinct.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/reasons-to-love-freshwater-mussels/

The Revelator

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In: AP, dams, Energy, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Fish, Birds and Animals, hydropower, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, News, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Hydropower eyes bigger energy role, less environmental harm

By Suman Naishadham, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In southwestern Pennsylvania, eight locks and dams that for decades helped barges move goods along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers will in a few years also generate enough power for 75,000 homes.

Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is retrofitting the dams with turbines to generate electricity and says the upgraded structures will limit damage to the rivers’ water quality and fish.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-hydropower-bigger-energy-role-less-environmental-harm/

The Associated Press

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In: AP, Budget, Forever Chemicals Featured, infrastructure, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, wells, Wisconsin
La Crosse officials to spend another $25K on bottled water

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — The city council in La Crosse has decided to spend another $25,000 on bottled water for town of Campbell residents with PFAS-contaminated wells.

The La Crosse Tribune reported March 11 that the council voted March 10 to pull the money from the city’s contingency fund.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-la-crosse-25k-bottled-water/

The Associated Press

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In: AP, groundwater, Groundwater Contamination, infrastructure, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The States, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Evers lashes out at conservatives over PFAS standards

By Todd Richmond, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Thursday at conservative members of the Department of Natural Resources policy board for refusing to set limits on a group of chemicals known as PFAS in Wisconsin’s groundwater.

The board in February adopted limits for drinking water and surface water but rejected the Department of Natural Resources’ recommendations to impose a 20 parts per trillion limit for groundwater after conservative board members voiced concerns about the cost of replacing or remediating wells with contamination that exceeds that bench mark.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/evers-conservatives-pfas-standards/

The Associated Press

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In: Algae Blooms, Boats, Collaboration, Fish, Birds and Animals, infrastructure, invasive species, Latest News, legislation, News, Ontario, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Science, Technology, Research, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
New Ontario watercraft regulations fight invasive species

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

By Arya Dara, Great Lakes Echo

New legislation in Ontario can result in a fine if boats are not cleaned properly when they are moved from one body of water and into another.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ontario-watercraft-regulations-invasive-species/

Great Lakes Echo