Fresh is a biweekly newsletter from Circle of Blue that unpacks the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing, straight to your inbox, every other Tuesday.
— Laura Gersony, Fresh Editor
This Week’s Watersheds
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/fresh-epa-minnesota-mining-permit/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/canada-aging-infrastructure-rising-costs/
Wisconsin Sea Grant is announcing the launch of a new podcast series, The Water We Swim In. The trailer can be found here and it features stories about the Great Lakes and people working toward equity.
In the series, Sea Grant’s Digital Storyteller Bonnie Willison and Hali Jama, podcast intern, share inspiring interviews from community organizers, researchers and leaders navigating Wisconsin’s waters.
Sea Grant has long been invested in audio storytelling, starting in 1972 with the environmental news program Earthwatch Radio. In recent years, the program has produced a number of podcast series — Wisconsin Water News, Undercurrents: The Hidden Knowledge of Groundwater, The Fish Dish, and Introduced— several of which are award-winning.
On this upcoming season of the new podcast, Willison and Jama will:
Jama attends a fishing clinic with Midwest Crappie Hunters in Milwaukee. Jama is a UW-Madison student studying marketing and international business with a certificate in environmental studies. (Photo: Bonnie Willison)
The series’ title, The Water We Swim In, was inspired by an interview with Brenda Coley, co-executive director of Milwaukee Water Commons. “Brenda had this great quote where she said that ‘racism is the water we swim in,’” said Willison. “People might not realize that systemic racism impacts everything in our society, just like a fish might not realize that it is swimming in water.”
The post Launch of new podcast about equity and the Great Lakes first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/launch-of-new-podcast-about-equity-and-the-great-lakes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=launch-of-new-podcast-about-equity-and-the-great-lakes
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/bill-michigans-water-infrastructure/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-news-collaborative-waters-true-cost/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/waters-true-cost-events/
In this episode sneak peek watch party, join GLN Producer Anna Sysling for a preview of the May show and a conversation with several guests who all played a part in this episode’s story about the complicated financial, public health and infrastructural implications of our drinking water.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Join the Conversations: Events on “Water’s True Cost” will answer your questions about water infrastructure
The Catch: Benton Harbor’s lead pipes and the plan to replace them
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/waters-true-cost-watch-party/
Algal blooms cause lower housing prices in Lake Erie communities, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.
The post Algae contamination effects Lake Erie housing prices first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/21/algae-contamination-effects-lake-erie-housing-prices/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/build-new-pipeline-illinois-lake-michigan-water/
The lifeguard shortage is expected to continue this summer, leading many local recreation leaders to combat inadequate staffing with increased wages or other incentives.
The post Lifeguard staffing struggles to stay afloat in 2022 first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/14/lifeguard-staffing-struggles-to-stay-afloat-in-2022/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-420m-water-supplies-climate-change/
Great Lakes invasive species cling to shipments and navigate canals to migrate, but one aquatic invader - sea lamprey - benefitted from border closures instead. During 2020, 93 Great Lakes tributaries and 11 standing bodies of water were scheduled for chemical treatments for lamprey, but only 26 tributaries and six standing bodies of water were completed.
The post The pandemic that closed the U.S./Canadian border to people may have opened it to the invasive sea lamprey first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/21/the-pandemic-that-closed-the-u-s-canadian-border-to-people-may-have-opened-it-to-the-invasive-sea-lamprey/
A new project hopes to find the best design for an incubator to produce the fish that hasn’t been in Michigan waters since 1936. It is part of a multi-step effort by the Michigan Arctic Grayling Initiative, a collaboration of more than 40 partners to make the fish self-sustaining in the Great Lakes.
The post Streamside incubator could help restore grayling to Michigan first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/16/streamside-incubator-could-help-restore-grayling-to-michigan/
A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state. The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years.
The post Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/10/lost-and-found-native-aquatic-plant-in-ohio/
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/2022/03/legislation-bottled-water-protections-groundwater/
Michigan Sea Grant recently announced four new research projects with one common goal — protecting the Great Lakes. It committed almost $1 million to the projects, including $225,000 from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. In addition, university research partners contributed over $500,000 in matching funds. Their major topics are water use, walleye, invasive mussel larvae and harmful algae blooms.
The post More money allocated for Great Lakes research first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/01/more-money-allocated-for-great-lakes-research/
As the megadrought in the Western U.S. worsens, calls for freshwater diversions from the Great Lakes to the West have grown increasingly popular. Water diversion from the Great Lakes harms not only the ecosystem, but also the cultural significance of water, according to MIchigan environmental policy expert.
The post Protecting Great Lakes requires more than policy changes, argues longtime Michigan environmental policy expert first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/23/protecting-great-lakes-requires-more-than-policy-changes-argues-longtime-michigan-environmental-policy-expert/
The Great Lakes Water Authority plans to increase the ability of its water and wastewater systems to cope with flooding and other severe weather conditions under a capital improvement plan to be carried out over five years. The investment will consist of 182 projects from 2023 to 2027 in the region at a cost of approximately $1.73 billion.
The post Projects aim to stop flooding of homes, businesses first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/22/projects-aim-to-stop-flooding-of-homes-businesses/
A new book explores the interconnected layers of the Great Lakes, from the leadership of local native tribes to the concerning intensity of resource extraction. The book took several years to write to fully and accurately capture a cohesive picture of the Great Lakes and their histories.
The post New book explores ecological odyssey of the Great Lakes first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/11/new-book-explores-ecological-odyssey-of-the-great-lakes/
In a small back room of an aquarium in a Michigan suburban mall lies a tank of endangered corals native to places more than a thousand miles away.
The post Suburban Michigan aquarium an ark for Florida corals first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/09/suburban-michigan-aquarium-an-ark-for-florida-corals/
Even as community water systems are praised by the state for maintaining fluoride levels, others are still holding out.
The post Some communities in Michigan opt out of fluoridation first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/01/24/some-communities-in-michigan-opt-out-of-fluoridation/
Michigan residents would pay 3 to 6 cents more for a bottle of water under a plan to sustain Great Lakes water improvements.
The post Can a bottled water royalty help preserve the Great Lakes? first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/12/28/can-a-bottled-water-royalty-help-preserve-the-great-lakes/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/water-groups-agreement-paris-climate-conference/
After nearly a century and a half, river restoration projects may bring back the rapids that once characterized Grand Rapids, Michigan and provide environmental and economic boosts to the city.
The post Grand Rapids plans to restore its namesake — rapids first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/10/25/grand-rapids-plans-to-restore-its-namesake-rapids/
Children’s health advocates are pushing to install drinking water filters in Michigan schools and child care centers to protect them from lead poisoning.
The post Drinking water filters eyed as better option to testing in Michigan schools and day care centers first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/10/20/drinking-water-filters-eyed-as-better-option-to-testing-in-michigan-schools-and-day-care-centers/
Toxins from harmful algal blooms are known to pollute water, but now researchers are looking at how they harm Great Lakes air.
The post Great Lakes algae threatens air quality first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/06/04/great-lakes-algae-threatens-air-quality/
A new Environmental Protection Agency mobile app will help communities track water quality at their beaches.
The post A new EPA app aims to help track water quality at beaches first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/05/14/a-new-epa-app-aims-to-help-track-water-quality-at-beaches/
Meteotsunamis also threaten the ecosystem by increasing erosion and releasing contaminants within sediments.
The post Tsunamis caused by air pressure could resuspend Great Lakes contaminants first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/04/29/tsunamis-caused-by-air-pressure-could-resuspend-great-lakes-contaminants/
Restoring one of the rapids on the St. Marys River is helping diverse fish species recover in the river that connects lakes Superior and Huron, according to a recent study.
The post Rapids return means fish returns first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/03/31/rapids-return-means-fish-returns/
Local officials predict it's enough to fund three years worth of work.
The post Removal fund covers up to 10% of Wisconsin’s private lead pipes needing replacement first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/03/03/removal-fund-covers-up-to-10-of-wisconsins-private-lead-pipes-needing-replacement/
High school and community groups will help implement a $250,000 project to prevent pollution from flowing into the river from a new water research center to be built on contaminated soils at Lake Superior State University.
The post University gives St. Marys River clean, green boost first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/02/09/university-gives-st-marys-river-clean-green-boost/
The U.S. Coast Guard wants to retire its oldest cutter on the Great Lakes, the 57-year-old cutter Buckthorn.
The post Oldest Coast Guard cutter with smallest crew and largest Great Lakes responsibility needs replacing first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/12/11/oldest-coast-guard-cutter-with-smallest-crew-and-largest-great-lakes-responsibility-needs-replacing/
If you read the International Joint Commission’s 2020 Triennial Assessment of Progress Report or
watched the webinar where the IJC announced and discussed the findings, you might be curious about some of the other reports and documents referenced.
For the 2020 triennial report, go to the IJC’s website.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/index-international-joint-commission-2020-triennial-assessment-of-progress-report/
After four years in the making, a set of maps has been created to show what lies underneath the water in the Milwaukee Harbor and what restoration efforts could help get the harbor removed from the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration’s list of heavily contaminated Areas of Concern.
The post New maps for the Milwaukee Harbor shows what lies beneath the surface first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/12/09/new-maps-for-the-milwaukee-harbor-shows-what-lies-beneath-the-surface/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/biden-administration-water-policy-expert-roundtable/
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The proposed settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of residents of Flint, Michigan, who were harmed by lead-tainted water now totals about $641 million, officials revealed Tuesday.
The lawsuit was the result of workers following state environmental officials’ advice not to use anti-corrosive additives.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-flint-water-lawsuit-settlement/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/11/17/study-shows-aquatic-landscape-changes-human-impact-on-chicago-area-plants-animal-life/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/plumbing-poverty-urban-residents-study/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/11/04/great-lakes-produce-new-record-for-waterspouts-in-one-week/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/10/21/lake-michigan-huron-water-levels-rising/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/10/12/researchers-want-invasive-aquatic-critters-out-of-great-lakes-ballast-water/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/house-democrats-cdc-halt-water-shutoffs-pandemic/
Canada is home to the third largest renewable supply of fresh water in the world, spread across a vast swath of lakes, rivers, aquifers and glaciers. Fresh water is critical to the country’s economy and health, and a key part of the nation’s identity – paddling a canoe through northern waterways is a rite of passage, and more than 30% of Canadians live surrounded by water in the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/canada-water-agency-government-consolidate-water-data-management/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/08/05/as-toxic-algal-blooms-impact-lake-erie-michigan-sees-agriculture-as-main-culprit/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/07/22/multi-million-dollar-grant-funds-study-of-great-lakes-aquaculture/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/06/23/michigan-attorney-general-wants-line-5-shut-down-until-damage-is-investigated/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/06/23/michigan-attorney-general-wants-line-5-shut-down-until-damage-is-investigated/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/06/01/risks-in-michigans-urban-environment/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/05/29/scientists-explore-mysterious-lake-huron-sinkholes/
April 29, 2020
By Jennifer A. Smith
Now in its fifth year, the annual Water@UW-Madison symposium has become a vital event that gives attendees a chance to hear about a broad swath of cutting-edge water research and outreach. With many short sessions, it’s one of the fastest and most informative ways to learn about the state of Wisconsin’s water and what’s being done to protect this critical resource.
This year, like most other conferences in the era of COVID-19, Water@UW-Madison is going virtual. The online event will take place Tuesday, May 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “Working Together to Address Water Challenges: UW-Madison and State Government.”
Attendees can participate via Zoom or, if they prefer, by watching the Water@UW-Madison YouTube channel. One need not be affiliated with the university to participate. Currently, over 250 people have registered for the Zoom sessions.
Said David Koser, a project assistant at the UW-Madison Aquatic Sciences Center (home to Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Water Resources Institute), “The symposium is going to be informative and a lot of fun. UW-Madison’s partnerships and collaborations with state government are key to the health and well-being of the people of Wisconsin. Our speakers will have great material to share, and we hope that this event will show the strength of our existing relationships as well as help build new ones.” Koser helps coordinate this signature event.
Numerous Aquatic Sciences Center staff are involved in this year’s event. Director Jim Hurley and Associate Director Jen Hauxwell will both present sessions, and Hauxwell is chair-elect for the Water@UW-Madison group. During intermissions, virtual attendees will see water-related artwork chosen by Anne Moser, senior special librarian for the Wisconsin Water Library.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will welcome attendees, and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes has provided a video introduction. There will be an in-depth presentation by Rep. Todd Novak and Rep. Katrina Shankland of the Wisconsin State Assembly. These two legislators lead the Speaker’s Water Quality Task Force.
For complete information, including an agenda, visit https://water.wisc.edu/2020springsymposium/.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/asc-plays-key-role-in-water-symposium/
