A picturesque Lake Michigan shoreline village was announced among the latest communities to be home to a designated PFAS contamination site in Michigan. During an environmental assessment of a building in Elk Rapids, Michigan, elevated levels of PFAS chemicals were found. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210723-pfas
Shaped by glaciers, defined by dunes and a one-hour drive from Chicago, Indiana Dunes National Park is a breath of fresh air along 15 miles of the southern shores of Lake Michigan, but it’s so much more than a day at the beach. Read the full story by WLS-TV- Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210723-dunes
Piping plovers nesting near Sandy Pond in New York have caused delays in dredging, which has impacted local businesses as boaters are unable to access the pond. Read the full story by Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210723-plovers
The Great Lakes Water Authority is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to hire Jeffrey Collins — an attorney, former judge and former U.S. attorney — to oversee its investigation of flooding in June that resulted in damage to thousands of homes in Detroit, Michigan. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210723-flooding
Robert Priefer, 99, captained the Milwaukee Clipper from 1960-1969. He can recall the ship’s hay-day like it was yesterday, including his unique rise to the top. Read the full story by WZZM-TV- Muskegon, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210723-o-captain-my-captain
Over the last several years, the H. Lee White Maritime Museum has hosted tours out to New York’s Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse, and these journeys have returned for the summer. Read the full story by Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210723-tours
The White Shoal Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, standing at 121 feet. You’ll find it, still operating, about 20 miles east of Mackinac Point in Michigan. Read the full story by WKFR – Battle Creek, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210723-white-shoal
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261ACF9458C.AirQualityAlert.1261AD071450WI.GRBAQAGRB.a0c790f00d43ba1dd8a64111fb6b0cb0
Get more locks for the money as we cut the cost of a season pass in half for the second half of summer. Now through July 31, purchase a season pass through the locks for just $50. This allows you to use any and all locks during our operating hours through Labor Day. Cruise from Kaukauna, Little Chute, Appleton, and through Little Lake Butte des Morts. Or enjoy the northern part of the lock system from Little Kaukauna, through DePere, and into the Bay of Green Bay. Beautiful cruising is yours for half the cost of a season pass.
There’s plenty of summer left, but you have to purchase before July 31, 2021.
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2021/07/23/summer-splash-sale-50-off-season-passes/
Mosquitoes are out in full force this summer, which also means a risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.
The post Michigan county health department on lookout for mosquito-borne diseases first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/07/23/michigan-county-health-department-on-lookout-for-mosquito-borne-diseases/
What do you get when you mix mayonnaise, a vaudeville star, two swanky hotels and a fisherman’s wife?
If you guessed Thousand Island dressing and an age-old mystery, you’d be correct.
Today, Thousand Island dressing is bottled and sold in grocery stores nationwide. You may even find a simplified version of the dressing (mayonnaise, ketchup or tomato puree, and pickle relish) at your favorite burger spot, masquerading as their “special” or “secret” sauce.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/thousand-island-dressing-uncertain-origins/
As an avid angler, Great Lakes Now Host Ward Detwiler has encountered suckers, a bottom-feeding family of fish that are present in all five Great Lakes and spawn in the rivers of the watershed.
But he’s never been terribly mindful of them.
“It’s never something you’re really out looking for,” Detwiler said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/suckers-scientist-best-supporting-fishes-great-lakes-food-web/
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced today that it has named Erika Jensen to serve as its executive director. Jensen joined the GLC in 2006 and has served as interim executive director of the agency since August 2020. She will be the GLC’s first female executive director since it was established in 1955.
“The Great Lakes Commission is thrilled to name Erika Jensen as our next executive director,” said Chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana. “Under Erika’s steady leadership over the past year, the GLC has effectively navigated the coronavirus pandemic while seeing considerable success in achieving its policy and program priorities. Her longstanding commitment to the Great Lakes, strategic vision, and strong relationships in the region and on Capitol Hill make her the perfect person to lead the GLC into its next era.”
As executive director, Jensen will oversee the work of the GLC, a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect and promote the resiliency of the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. The eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin are represented on the GLC by a delegation of government-appointed commissioners.
“I’m honored to take on this role and grateful to our Board and Commissioners for entrusting me with the future of the Great Lakes Commission,” said Jensen. “I look forward to working with our member states and provinces to build on our past successes, solve challenging issues facing the basin, and ensure that the Great Lakes continue to support communities across the region now and into the future.”
In her previous role, Jensen oversaw the GLC’s aquatic invasive species prevention and control program and coordinated both the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species and the Invasive Mussel Collaborative. She joined the GLC as a Sea Grant Fellow and has a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/esj-072221
By Laura Gersony, 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/2021/07/chicago-wary-lead-pipe-replacement/
It’s a thin volume with a worldwide span. In 2020, we sent out a call for river poems for The River Talks speaker series we hold with the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. Poets were offered the opportunity to read their poems via Zoom during one of the River Talk monthly presentations.
Poets from across the world responded. With help from a judging committee, we narrowed the pool to a dozen poets, who read their works in March 2021 in conjunction with the St. Louis River Summit. The event was so moving, and the poems so well received, we created a publication to showcase them. “A River of Poems,” is now available as a free download.
In “I Held Us on for 36 Hours After the Levee Broke to Hell,” Heather Dobbins tells the story of a family who spends the night atop a phone pole to escape a raging river.
In “Catching Your Drift,” Lorraine Lamey highlights the subtle humor in natural resource regulations for a river in Montana.
Poet Ron Riekki shares how water can be an antidote for PTSD from war in “It Took a Long Time to Discover.”
A river in Detroit burns in Derold Sligh’s “Rouge River” poem, heralding a cry for environmental and social justice.
Download the book here.
The post “A River of Poems” Book Spans the World first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/a-river-of-poems-book-spans-the-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-river-of-poems-book-spans-the-world
Marine sanctuaries protect shipwrecks while volunteers guard sturgeon against poachers.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/saving-shipwrecks-and-sturgeon/
News | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
News | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
https://toolkit.climate.gov/news/updated-climate-explorer-now-offers-projections-entire-united-states
When the Milwaukee River Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction Project began 16 years ago, success wasn’t immediately apparent.
Having a solid scientific foundation for the project wasn’t the problem: sturgeon were raised in the Milwaukee River so they would return there to spawn when the time came. The problem was that lake sturgeon don’t return to a river to spawn for around 15 years.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ways-see-touch-appreciate-sturgeon-great-lakes-region/
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Sea Grant College Program are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2022 class of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The one-year fellowship places early career professionals in federal government offices in Washington, D.C. The 74 finalists in the 2022 class represent 28 of the 34 Sea Grant programs. Since 1979, almost 1,500 fellows have completed the program, becoming leaders in science, policy, and public administration roles.
Knauss finalists are chosen through a competitive process that includes comprehensive review at both the state Sea Grant program and national levels. Students who are enrolled in or have recently completed master’s, Juris Doctor (J.D.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs with a focus and/or interest in marine and coastal science, policy or management apply to one of the 34 Sea Grant programs. If applicants are successful at the state program level, their applications are then reviewed by a national panel of experts.
Among the 74 finalists are four who applied through Wisconsin Sea Grant: Becky J. Curtis, Elizabeth McNamee, Samm Newton and Theresa M. Vander Woude.
“At both the state and national levels, Sea Grant’s active recruitment and student engagement efforts supported one of the most robust applicant pools in fellowship history,” said Jonathan Pennock, Ph.D., National Sea Grant College Program director. “I have no doubt that the finalists’ diverse perspectives will provide great insight towards addressing critical marine policy and science challenges. We look forward to welcoming the 2022 class of Knauss fellows.”
This year’s class comprises students and recent graduates from 51 distinct universities, including 11 minority-serving institutions. The finalists completed coursework and research in a range of fields, such as agronomy, anthropology, ecology, environmental policy and law, fisheries, geology, marine and coastal sciences, oceanography, tourism management and urban and regional planning.
Beyond completing rigorous academic programs, the 2022 finalists come from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Many of the finalists are multilingual, some grew up and studied in countries outside of the U.S., and others engaged in international study and experiences. The 2022 finalists include first-generation college graduates, former service members and leaders in diversity and inclusion initiatives. They have supported their communities as educators, mentors and volunteers; worked in international, national and state political offices; and engaged with scientific research at NOAA and other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Furthermore, finalists are science communicators and artists who have demonstrated their skills and desire to translate research to broad applications. This year’s class also includes an ultimate frisbee coach, a pilot, an ocean historian, a beekeeper, a slam poet, an ice hockey captain, a woodblock carver, and a blackbelt in taekwondo. Learn more about the Wisconsin finalists from the “postcards” below this story; to view postcards about all 74 finalists, visit the National Sea Grant College Program website.
This fall, the 2022 finalists will participate in a virtual placement week to get to know each other and interview with potential host offices. Following placement, they will begin their fellowships in February 2022.
Executive appointments for the 2021 Knauss fellows included placements throughout NOAA as well as with the Department of Energy, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Science Foundation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies. Legislative placements included the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (Majority), the House Committee on Natural Resources (Majority), the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Majority and Minority), and several placements in both majority and minority personal offices (House and Senate).
The 2022 Knauss finalists will become the 43rd class of the fellowship and will join a group of almost 1,500 professionals who have received hands-on experiences transferring science to policy and management through one-year appointments with federal government offices in Washington, D.C., like alumna and current NOAA chief of staff, Karen Hyun, Ph.D.
“Congratulations to the finalists on being selected for this prestigious fellowship. The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship is truly an opportunity to launch your careers in coastal and marine science and policy. As a former fellow, my advice to you is to take advantage of all the opportunities the fellowship year provides. The connections you make this year can turn into lifelong professional relationships and friendships. I, for one, am so pleased to have come full circle working at NOAA with so many familiar, talented individuals!”
Former Knauss fellow and current NOAA senior advisor, Letise LaFeir, Ph.D., also reflected on the role Sea Grant has played in her career. “I’ve had a deep connection to NOAA and Sea Grant throughout my career. From Knauss fellow to National Sea Grant Advisory Board member, Sea Grant has continued to support me along the way. I look forward to seeing where the fellowship will take this next generation of Knauss fellows, and I’m sure I’ll get to work with many of you in the near future.”
Want to learn more about the Knauss Fellowship? The Knauss Blog shares stories from the 2021 Knauss class on fellowship experiences and their journeys to D.C.
Placement of 2022 Knauss finalists as fellows is contingent on adequate funding in Fiscal Year 2022.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/four-wisconsin-finalists-among-those-chosen-for-the-2022-john-a-knauss-marine-policy-fellowship-program/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=four-wisconsin-finalists-among-those-chosen-for-the-2022-john-a-knauss-marine-policy-fellowship-program
A survey conducted by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative has found that it will cost two billion dollars over the next five years to repair and shore up coastlines in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by WTTW – TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-repair-funds
U.S. Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway are reporting a surge in cargo shipments to feed domestic construction and manufacturing activity and global export demand, according to the latest June figures. Read the full story by Work Boat.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-shipping
The Ontario government selected 44 community-based projects that will receive C$1.9 million in funding through the Great Lakes Local Action Fund, which supports projects that protect and restore the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Global News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-gllaf
The proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota encountered a setback when the state Court of Appeals ordered regulators to revisit a critical air emissions permit given to the project. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-polymet-mine
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the beginning of a public comment period on its draft environmental impact statement and management plan for the proposed marine sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario, the next step toward official designation. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-ontario
A batch of Arctic grayling salmonid eggs were transported from Alaska to Michigan as the carry-on luggage of a researcher as part of an initiative to repopulate the native fish. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-arctic-grayling
Since 1914, RMS Empress of Ireland, Canada’s Titanic, has rested at the bottom of the St. Lawrence River. For the next two summers, though, her artifacts will rest on Manitoulin Island, at the top of Lake Huron. Read the full story by the Toronto Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-shipwreck
The Lake Erie Guardians, a select group of like-minded citizen scientists who keep a watchful eye on Lake Erie and its watershed is receiving $49,955 from the Ontario government to help protect the precious body of water. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-erie-guardians
Water samples taken last week by the Erie Health Department showed high toxin levels from harmful algal blooms at nine different waterside locations in the Erie area. Read the full story by WJET – TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-algae
Working with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a construction contract out to create a corridor along the sea wall at Broderick Park along the Niagara River in Buffalo, NY. Read and listen to the full story by WBFO -TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210721-niagara
Since 1988, the Isle Royale Moosewatch Expedition has sought volunteer backpackers for a community science project.
The post Search for Isle Royale’s bone bounty yields environmental clues, new friends, wilderness salvation first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/07/21/search-for-isle-royales-bone-bounty-yields-environmental-clues-new-friends-wilderness-salvation/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261ACCBF398.AirQualityAlert.1261ACD94D90WI.GRBAQAGRB.95772b461ecdeafcc9c0642321d118ec
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota encountered a setback Monday when the state Court of Appeals ordered regulators to revisit a critical air emissions permit given to the project.
The court ruled that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency hadn’t sufficiently justified granting the permit after opponents raised allegations that PolyMet was planning a much larger mine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-minnesota-court-polymet-air-permit-case-agency/
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An invasive weed that can choke out native plants and fish habitat has been found in one of Minnesota’s largest and most popular walleye lakes, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Monday.
The DNR has confirmed the discovery of starry stonewort in Leech Lake, located in northwestern Minnesota.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-invasive-weed-starry-stonewort-leech-lake/
CHESTERTON, Ind. (AP) — Officials at Indiana Dunes National Park want to hear from visitors as they develop a strategy to add services at the park, ranging from food or beverage sales to organized tours.
Two open houses are set for Thursday and Friday at the national park in northwestern Indiana.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-indiana-dunes-visitors-ideas-new-services/
In late June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) designated Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary (WSCNMS or sanctuary) in the fresh, cold waters of Lake Michigan. Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Designation; Final Regulations, 86 Fed. Reg. 32,737 (to be codified at 15 C.F.R pt. 922). Following a review by Congress and the governor of Wisconsin, the designation will become effective in the first weeks of August, at which time NOAA will publish an announcement in the Federal Register. It will be the 16th national sanctuary and only the second in freshwater.
Authorized by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce designates and protects sanctuaries of special significance for many reasons, including for their conservation, recreational, historical and educational qualities. The National Marine Sanctuaries Act aims to protect a sanctuary’s biological and cultural resources such as historic shipwrecks and archaeological sites. The secretary has delegated sanctuary management to NOAA. The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast NMS, which is located in state waters adjacent to Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties, will be co-managed by the state of Wisconsin and NOAA.
“The new sanctuary brings well-deserved focus to the history and resources of this part of the Great Lakes. I am looking forward to new opportunities to work with another NOAA group on future education and outreach programs,” said Titus Seilheimer, a Wisconsin Sea Grant outreach specialist based in Manitowoc. For more than seven years, Seilheimer has coordinated sanctuary siting efforts with community leaders.
Fisheries Outreach Specialist Titus Seilheimer is gratified that seven years of collaborative planning for a new sanctuary has paid off. (Photo: Wisconsin Sea Grant)
Encompassing more than 22,000 square miles, Lake Michigan is the second largest of the five Great Lakes. The lake’s water, and its fresh, cold temperatures are credited for playing a significant role in preserving 36 known shipwrecks and approximately 59 suspected shipwrecks with exceptional historical, archeological and recreational artifacts. The sanctuary has partnered with other groups to create web-accessible detailed maps of the lakebed, with potential for discovery of other wrecks. The documented ships wrecked within the 962 square miles of waters and submerged land of the WSCNMS, date back to as early as the 1800s. They represent a part of history during the 19th and 20th centuries, when vessels of the like sailed and steamed west throughout Lake Michigan carrying goods, raw materials, and people. Wisconsinshipwrecks.org has details on Lake Michigan wrecks, along with those in Lake Superior and inland waters. There is also information other maritime attractions.
One of the more notable wrecks in the sanctuary lies 165 feet below the surface. Sitting fully intact and upright on the lakebed is the Walter B. Allen, a 136-foot long boxy-hulled “canaller,” which sailed from 1866-1880. Walter B. Allen is a wooden schooner, which was used to transport grain and coal between New York and Chicago. Historically, canallers, like the Walter B. Allen, were constructed specifically to fit perfectly through the Welland Canal Locks and are unique to the Great Lakes.
Sea Grant funding allowed for the 3-D imaging of the Walter B. Allen by partners at the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Photo: Tamara Thomsen, Wisconsin Historical Society)
The preservation of the wrecks within the sanctuary extends beyond just the ships, as even the cargo remains intact. Among these preserved artifacts are locally produced goods, Christmas trees, general merchandise, a submerged aircraft and even cars, including 264 Nash automobiles from 1929. The designation protects artifacts from potential loss and damage by anchors from dive boats, entanglement of fishing gear, poorly attached mooring lines and the moving of, theft, or looting of the sunken artifacts. There is also the ever-present threat from further invasive species being introduced to the lake waters. Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Designation; Final Regulations, 86 Fed. Reg. at 32,738.
Shipwreck artifacts, such as a Christmas tree (visible in the lower left), also tell the story of final Great Lakes’ voyages. (Photo: Tamara Thomsen, Wisconsin Historical Society)
The designation plans for the sanctuary are geared toward ensuring that it not only continues to exist, but also engages the community. For instance, the sanctuary is expected to boost the local economy by attracting 70,000 tourists from around the region, nation and globe each year and bringing in an estimated $10 million
Additionally, in response to community concerns, NOAA established a Sanctuary Advisory Council comprising a diverse group of community leaders to provide advice on management and protection. With an incredible and rich maritime story, the sanctuary will provide communities a platform for heritage tourism as they educate and organize around an underwater museum.
Following the designation, NOAA announced a ban on grappling into or anchoring on shipwreck sites that will remain until October 2023. The ban provides NOAA with time to create a mooring program, develop maps, and install a permanent mooring system that balances public access and resource protection.
After several years of relying on state laws and Lake Michigan’s fresh cold waters as protection, the artifacts that lay on the lakebed will now enjoy more collaborative protections to help them survive for posterity. With history buffs and adventure seekers alike soon able to safely participate in regulated exploration and discoveries within her waters, the future of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary and all that she has to discover is bright.
The post New marine sanctuary adds protections for historic Lake Michigan shipwrecks first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/new-marine-sanctuary-adds-protections-for-historic-lake-michigan-shipwrecks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-marine-sanctuary-adds-protections-for-historic-lake-michigan-shipwrecks
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/monthly-ocean-heat-content-and-temperature-anomalies-released
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/monthly-ocean-heat-content-and-temperature-anomalies-released
The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI) has been functioning in the state for 57 years. Despite that half-a-century-plus track record of scientific investigations, there are still many water challenges and opportunities that bear probing.
The newest round of investigations recently launched, with four new WRI-funded projects looking into bacterial transport, the effect of salt use on southeastern Wisconsin waters, the depth of water sources in the Central Sands Region of the state and a possible method to reduce nitrates from getting into groundwater.
Chris Zahasky, professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is leading the bacterial transport project. He said, “I am really excited for this project because it will give us a chance to explore fundamental scientific questions that will improve our understanding of bacteria transport and fate from surface sources to groundwater drinking supplies.”
He continued, “We hope to discover how spatial complexity of geologic systems combined with transient system changes impacts bacteria mobility in the subsurface.”
Zahasky and his co-investigators from the Madison campus, geoscience professor Eric Roden and graduate student Vy Le, will use a novel medical imaging technique that can capture three-dimensional and time lapse observations of E. coli moving throughout different types of geologic media and soils overlying Wisconsin groundwater aquifers. The study will add geologic heterogeneity and fluid saturation levels when considering groundwater bacterial contamination under realistic environmental conditions. That means a better understanding of the dynamic process of bacterial movement into drinking water supplies, which can sicken people and livestock. The researchers hypothesize that bacteria can flow even greater distances from the source than expected and documented in prior studies.
Details on the other three new projects are:
UW-Milwaukee’s Charles Paradis, assistant professor in geosciences, in collaboration with Laura Herrick, Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission; Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee Riverkeeper; and Timothy Wahl, UW-Milwaukee, will undertake the project titled, “Mass discharge of road salt via groundwater to surface waters in southeastern Wisconsin.” The team will try to solve the mystery surrounding high summer concentrations of chloride—possibly from road salt applications in snowy Decembers, Januarys and Februarys—in the Root River of southeastern Wisconsin. Because chloride dissolves from road salt and is highly mobile in runoff, surface water and groundwater, some have suggested the high levels in warm months comes from laden groundwater. Researchers will check chloride in groundwater feeding the river before, during and after the summer.
“Data-driven groundwater depth and risk forecasting in the Central Sands Region of Wisconsin for sustainable management.” is the second project based on the UW-Madison campus and will be led by Jingyi Huang, assistant professor in the Department of Soil Sciences, and Ankur Desai, professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences. Relying on data, this pair will look to the past and forecast the future of water quantity and quality in an area of the state that has seen vulnerabilities in its groundwater. The project will assess factors like precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, land cover and crop varieties combined with groundwater withdrawal, irrigation and depth data. The number crunching will yield, the researchers say, a forecast of groundwater depth and nitrate health risk for 2021 to 2050.
The project, “Assessment of biochar application to reduce nitrate leaching through agricultural vegetative treatment areas,” is being led by UW-Platteville’s assistant professor Joseph Sandford in the Department of Agriculture. Biochar is a form of charcoal created from biomass and in the absence of oxygen. In this study, its use will be measured to reduce the effects of nitrates in groundwater, specifically, runoff from silage bunkers. The project will compare differences between applying corn stover, spoiled silage or hardwood biochar; evaluate the leaching difference between biochar products produced under varied temperatures; assess the impact of biochar application rates; and evaluate the effects of shallow or deep biochar tillage.
In addition to the new projects, these started last year will continue:
Details on the ongoing projects can be found on the WRI website.
The post Four new research projects to probe Wisconsin water challenges first appeared on WRI.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/four-new-research-projects-to-probe-wisconsin-water-challenges/
A recent rainstorm that closed highways and damaged thousands of homes and businesses in Metro Detroit was a dramatic example of how unprepared the region is to handle extreme weather. Read the full story by Mlive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-floods-michigan
The return to regulation plan flows means an increase in Lake Ontario outflows. As a result, Lake Ontario will increase or decrease depending on natural weather conditions; lake levels will increase if there continues to be above average rainfall and decrease if dry conditions return. Read the full story by Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-ontario-lake-levels
A new full-length documentary charts the story of Chicago’s beloved piping plovers, from their hatching in 2017 to their improbable courtship on Chicago’s lakefront to their status as standard bearers for shorebird habitat conservation efforts. Read the full story by WTTW–TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-piping-plover
What started in 1898 with just five boats has grown as the 112th edition brings together 240 boats and 2,100 sailors to compete in the 333-mile course up Lake Michigan. The event is the oldest annual freshwater distance race in the world. Read the full story by WLS–TV – Chicago.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-boat-race
On July 15th the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network was launched as a group of concerned citizens, scientists, and community leaders with the goal to regulate PFAS use and connect impacted communities with information and resources. Read the full story by WGTQ–TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-pfas
Michigan’s conservation success stories, including the comeback of the lake sturgeon, have attracted national attention and prompted state legislature proclaiming July 2021 as Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month. Read the full story by the Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-wildlife-michigan
Forest Service and firefighting personnel in the U.S. are stepping up their response to wildfires burning in Ontario that threaten to cross the international border into Minnesota’s Boundary Waters. Read the full story by MPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-wildfire
Theodore has been travelling across Lake Ontario lately, making several stops to promote water conservation before settling into his new permanent home in the Hamilton Harbour. Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-shipping-tugboat
This week, state senators adopted a resolution calling for equitable treatment among ports that deal in cargo imported and exported abroad. Titled Senate Resolution 74, the document calls on U.S. Customs and Border Protection to lift restrictions on ports in the state that have been in effect since 2016. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-ports-shipping
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the beginning of a public comment period on its draft environmental impact statement and management plan for the proposed marine sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario, the next step toward official designation.
“Any possible new sanctuary is a big deal for NOAA, the surrounding community and the nation,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, acting director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/public-comment-lake-ontario-marine-sanctuary-proposal/
The Great Lakes Islands Alliance, a voluntary, bi-national network of leaders from 15 populated islands in the Great Lakes, now has dedicated staffing with the hire of a project manager Peter Hudson. Read full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210719-islands
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/2021/07/pfas-epa-fracking-ontario-cleanup-action-act-house/
