DNR extends comment period on Enbridge line reroute

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The comment period on a draft analysis of the environmental impact of rerouting an oil and gas pipeline around an American Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin will run for an additional month, state regulators announced Wednesday.

The Enbridge Line 5 pipeline carries oil and natural gas liquids from Superior to Sarnia.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-dnr-extends-comment-period-enbridge-reroute/

The Associated Press

A practice called regenerative farming could be the next step for sustainable farming in Pennsylvania. It reduces carbon, a greenhouse gas driving global warming, and improves water quality.

The post Sustainable farming practice mitigates climate change impacts first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/17/sustainable-farming-practice-mitigates-climate-change-impacts/

Guest Contributor

Indiana University study links lead exposure to juvenile delinquency

By Timberly Ferree, Indiana Environmental Reporter

In the first direct analysis of its kind, a study by Indiana University researchers has found a link between lead in drinking water, specifically from private wells, and juvenile delinquency.

“There’s not been a direct analysis on lead exposure and children’s outcomes later in life before.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/study-lead-exposure-juvenile-delinquency/

Indiana Environmental Reporter

Great Lakes Boat Building School to expand with COVID-19 relief grant funding

In Lake Huron’s Les Cheneaux Islands, a school is preserving the craft of building wooden boats.

Opened in 2005, the Great Lakes Boat Building School is located in Cedarville, Michigan, a small town tucked in the scenic bays and natural harbors of the area. A few dozen students a year learn how to build wooden boats.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/great-lakes-boat-building-school-grant-funding/

Natasha Blakely

The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards recently signed to an updated version of Great Lakes Geographic Annex agreement between the two coast guards, an environmental partnership. Read the full story by WIMS – Michigan City, IN.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-coast-guard

Theresa Gruninger

In January, the U.S. Army Corps announced $226 million to complete design on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, an $858 million effort to keep carp out of the Great Lakes. But Great Lakes advocates say more work is needed to close off other pathways for potential invasion, from Great Lakes freighters to recreational boats and online pet shops. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-carp

Theresa Gruninger

As several groups of researchers race to bring back Great Lakes grayling, one program recently got a big assist with a $70,000 grant to find the best design for an incubator to produce the fish that hasn’t been in Michigan waters since 1936. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-grayling

Theresa Gruninger

A proposed wind farm, located about eight miles off the coast of Cleveland and first pitched in 2009, would bring six wind turbines to Lake Erie, making it the first freshwater wind farm in North America. But the project is as hated as much as it is loved. Read the full story by the Cleveland Magazine.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-wind-turbine

Theresa Gruninger

An environmental bill that would require the removal of pollutants near the shores of Lake Michigan is advancing in the Illinois General Assembly, despite objections from opponents who argue the legislation singles out one company unfairly. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-power-plant

Theresa Gruninger

Permitted users in the cities of Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minnesota, take an average of 50 million gallons per day out of Lake Superior, the largest of those users being Northshore Mining. Read the full story WTIP – Grand Marias, MN.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-lake-superior

Theresa Gruninger

Permitted users in the cities of Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minnesota, take an average of 50 million gallons per day out of Lake Superior, the largest of those users being Northshore Mining. Read the full story WTIP – Grand Marias, MN.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-lake-superior

Theresa Gruninger

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced Tuesday that the Department’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2.7 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Great Lakes Boat Building School, in Cedarville, Michigan, to construct a 10,000-square-foot school expansion, establish new boat-docking infrastructure, and purchase additional marine electronics testing equipment. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-boating-school

Theresa Gruninger

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced Tuesday that the Department’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2.7 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Great Lakes Boat Building School, in Cedarville, Michigan, to construct a 10,000-square-foot school expansion, establish new boat-docking infrastructure, and purchase additional marine electronics testing equipment. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-boating-school

Theresa Gruninger

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/16/streamside-incubator-could-help-restore-grayling-to-michigan/

Guest Contributor

Drinking Water News Roundup: Illinois Well Inspections, New York Water Funding

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 $65.6 Million in wastewater and drinking water projects in second quarter of FY22 – WAND TV

Three of the loan recipients qualified for a total of more than $3 million in principal forgiveness.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-new-york/

Natasha Blakely

Lighthouse Restoration: A volunteer effort that requires labor, love and millions of dollars

This summer, a Great Lakes watchtower will celebrate its 200th birthday as any centenarian should: with cake and ice cream.

The Marblehead Lighthouse sits on Lake Erie’s temperamental shore in Ohio, about 20 miles away from Sandusky. It’s the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, thanks to the state of Ohio, which, according to the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, took over the maintenance in the 1990s.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/lighthouse-restoration/

Rachel Duckett

...DENSE FOG ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT TODAY... * WHAT...Visibility less than one quarter mile at times due to dense fog. * WHERE...Portions of central, north central, and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until Noon CDT today.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8B392C4.DenseFogAdvisory.1263E8B3F4D0WI.GRBNPWGRB.2f01fee6971d34a58f667975c6bc2940

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

In a study recently published in the journal, “Aquatic Toxicology,” researchers found that while concentrations of the herbicide fluridone similar to those used when it’s applied to lakes to control Eurasian watermilfoil and hydrilla did not kill fathead minnows, it can impact fish health in more subtle ways.

Eurasian watermilfoil is an invasive water plant that grows so densely it can make boating, fishing and swimming unpleasant and difficult. Image credit: Gavin Dehnert, Wisconsin Sea Grant

“The good news for fluridone is that it didn’t really have any impacts on survivorship or even on fish growth, which was to be expected. But when we looked at some of the more sensitive endpoints, particularly prey capture and endocrine disruption, we see that at certain concentrations there seems to be an impact,” said Gavin Dehnert, research team member and Wisconsin Sea Grant’s emerging contaminants scientist.

Fluridone is one of the major active ingredients in commercial aquatic herbicides. It affects the entire plant by inhibiting its ability to photosynthesize, which eventually leads to death. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is interested in using herbicides containing fluridone as an alternative to those containing 2,4-D, which preliminary research has found can be toxic to fish.

Dehnert said that before commercial use, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates testing of fluridone to ensure it does not impact fish survival and growth parameters such as length and weight. This testing is done with very high concentrations and recommendations are derived.

“The problem is, they (the EPA) rarely test the actual lower concentrations that they say are safe for the lake,” Dehnert said. “That’s usually a big question mark. It’s like, well, they just said it was safe, but is it actually?”

The research team, led by William Karasov with the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, exposed fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to concentrations of fluridone that would be found in a lake during treatment. Unlike 2,4-D, which only needs to be applied once, fluridone herbicides could require several applications to a lake to be effective over a minimum of 45 days but usually 90 days. The minnows were exposed to the chemical in the lab for 35 days and then a subsequent generation of larval minnows from the original test group was exposed for 65 days.

Larval fathead minnows were tested for impacts from the aquatic herbicide fluridone. Image credit: Gavin Dehnert, Wisconsin Sea Grant.

After 30 days of fluridone exposure, the adult male fish showed an increased number of nuptial tubercules, which can indicate endocrine disruption. Dehnert explained that some herbicides, especially when they are used at low concentrations, can mimic fish hormones. The tubercules are found near the minnows’ noses and increase or decrease in number depending on how much androgen and estrogen a fish produces. “That’s really important because it could have major impacts on reproduction,” Dehnert said.

The researchers also found that the fishes’ livers were enlarged and that their ability to catch prey decreased significantly when exposed to fluridone, which could be because it impairs their ability to move. Previous studies suggest fluridone can act as a neurotoxin.

The DNR funded the study because, as Dehnert said, “In the state of Wisconsin, everybody likes to fish. So, we’re trying to make sure we protect them as much as possible.”

Other members of the team included Angelo Cozzola and Amber White, all with UW-Madison.

The post Herbicide Study Finds Good News, Bad News for Use of Fluridone in Lakes first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/herbicide-study-finds-good-news-bad-news-for-use-of-fluridone-in-lakes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=herbicide-study-finds-good-news-bad-news-for-use-of-fluridone-in-lakes

Marie Zhuikov

Flint water main breaks prompt water conservation request

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Water main breaks blamed on temperature fluctuations has prompted Flint officials to ask residents and businesses to temporarily cut back on water usage.

The water conservation request is through Wednesday, the city said Friday in a release.

Main breaks have impacted water storage supply in a reservoir and elevated water tower, according to the city.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-flint-water-main-breaks/

The Associated Press

...DENSE FOG WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGH MID-MORNING... At 645 am, surface weather observations indicated widespread dense fog across central into northeast Wisconsin. The fog was primarily north of a line from Wisconsin Rapids to Green Bay to Kewaunee. A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect for this area until

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8B31D94.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E8B37FA0WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

...DENSE FOG ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Visibility less than one quarter mile at times due to dense fog. * WHERE...Portions of central, north central, and northeast Wisconsin.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8B31C04.DenseFogAdvisory.1263E8B3A6B0WI.GRBNPWGRB.80d96971c689ab7dce4b9c8113be1428

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

...DENSE FOG WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGH MID-MORNING... At 515 am, surface weather observations indicated widespread dense fog across central into northeast Wisconsin. The fog was primarily south of a line from Rhinelander to Iron Mountain, Michigan, and north of a line from Wisconsin Rapids to Green Bay

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8B2EACC.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E8B35890WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Visibility less than one quarter mile at times due to dense fog. * WHERE...Portage, Wood, Brown, Kewaunee, Outagamie and Waupaca Counties. * WHEN...Until 10 AM CDT this morning.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8B2E810.DenseFogAdvisory.1263E8B3A6B0WI.GRBNPWGRB.05eeead8c61e33fed8e93928ad88ed8e

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

...DENSE FOG WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGH MID-MORNING... At 300 am, surface weather observations indicated widespread dense fog in a band from central into northeast Wisconsin. The fog was primarily south of a line from Rhinelander to Iron Mountain, Michigan. The southern edge of the main area of fog extended

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8B29D10.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E8B30A70WI.GRBSPSGRB.b186990a900487b912f892c9938f6613

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

Ultrasonic acoustic detectors are being used to detect and identify the northern flying squirrel that is endangered in Pennsylvania.

The post High tech surveillance tracks endangered flying squirrels first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/15/high-tech-surveillance-tracks-endangered-flying-squirrels/

Guest Contributor

The Catch: Benton Harbor, Indiana Dunes National Park, shoreline armoring

Great Lakes Now introduced a new segment in Episode 2203 – The Catch.

In it, we take you around the region to hear bite-sized updates from reporters about the issues they’re covering and how it impacts our environment and the people who live around it.

In the premiere segment, we look at a range of Lake Michigan stories from reporters Leonard Fleming, Joseph S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/the-catch-benton-harbor-indiana-dunes-shoreline-armoring/

GLN Editor

Michigan sues dam owner over sediment in Kalamazoo River

By David Eggert, Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan sued the owner and operator of a hydroelectric dam, alleging that its mismanaged drawdown of a lake to do repairs created sediment that has choked a 30-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, impeded recreational use and threatened public safety.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-dam-owner-sediment-kalamazoo-river/

The Associated Press

With new invasive carp money, the Great Lakes learns from past invasions

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/2022/03/invasive-carp-money-great-lakes/

Bridge Michigan

A wholesale fish dealer from Platteville has been convicted of illegally selling invasive carp in Wisconsin. As the state’s first case involving illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp, Li Fish Farm, LLC was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in penalties. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-carp-conviction

Patrick Canniff

Enbridge’s plan to relocate a portion of its Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin could involve a controversial drilling method, Horizontal Directional Drilling, which the company admits may release toxic chemicals into surrounding waters. Read the full story by Public News Service.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-line-5

Patrick Canniff

More than a year after it arrived at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore for a scheduled maintenance overhaul to prep it for its Great Lakes assignment, the 225-foot cutter Spar is on its way to its new home port in Lake Superior. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-ice-breaker

Patrick Canniff

An experimental project, named Phosphorous Optimal Wetland Demonstration, located in Defiance, OH is aimed at preventing harmful algae blooms and improving water quality in the Great Lakes and is featured in the February edition of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers magazine, The Corps Environment. Read the full story by The Star Beacon.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-phosphorous-ohio

Patrick Canniff

The Ontario government is proposing legislative changes that would open the door to storing carbon dioxide underground in the province. Experts say the area near the north shore of Lake Erie between Port Dover and Windsor has the best geologic potential for storing carbon dioxide in Ontario. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-carbon

Patrick Canniff

Sandusky, Ohio has begun construction on the Cedar Point Causeway Wetlands, a long-awaited 30-acre wetlands project on the west side of the Cedar Point Causeway, using material dredged from the Sandusky harbor to provide a new home for wildlife like birds and fish. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-cedar-point

Patrick Canniff

A wholesale fish dealer from Platteville has been convicted of illegally selling invasive carp in Wisconsin. As the state’s first case involving illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp, Li Fish Farm, LLC was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in penalties. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-carp

Patrick Canniff

...SNOW COMING TO AN END THIS MORNING ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN... At 530 am, light to moderate snow showers were coming to an end from west to east across east-central and northeast Wisconsin. The snow is expected to come to an end between 630 am and 7 am, with light snow showers or flurries behind the main band of snow for

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8946C28.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E894FB20WI.GRBSPSGRB.1867766428f375641841528f4b93a2e4

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

...LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING... A band of light snow showers will move through northeast Wisconsin during the overnight hours into Sunday morning. Snowfall amounts will generally be 1 to 2 inches, with up to 3 inches possible across far north-central and far northeast Wisconsin. These snow

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E893AC5C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E894AD00WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

Approaching two years since Great Lakes Now’s initial reports on the pandemic’s immediate impact on the shipping industry, most ports have adjusted to the setbacks they once faced, including those in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-shipping

Theresa Gruninger

The Ohio Lake Erie Commission, which serves to preserve Lake Erie’s natural resources and protect the lake’s ecosystems, held its quarterly meeting Wednesday to discuss future plans for Lake Erie. Read the full story by WNWO-TV – Toledo, OH.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-commission

Theresa Gruninger