A fish pulled from Lake Ontario in 2015 contained 915 particles—a mix of microplastics, synthetic materials containing flame retardants or plasticizers, dyed cellulose fibers, and more—in its body, the most particles ever recorded. Read the full story by Environmental Health News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-harmful-particles
Protecting our Great Lakes is not only about stopping oil spills, reducing runoff that causes toxic algae blooms and reducing contaminants from flowing into our waters. Plastic pollution is a growing problem that must be addressed by our leaders. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-plastic-bags
There are dozens of potential on-the-water experiences to be had in hundreds of locations across the Great Lakes, and many on-the-water experiences can be had with minimal costs, in the $15 to $20 range. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-boating
Great Lakes Water Authority has selected engineering firms to look at system operations during heavy rainstorms that left thousands of basements and dozens of streets flooded in the Detroit area. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-glwa
Natural populations of oil-degrading bacteria could help to clean up freshwater rivers and lakes after spills from pipelines and trains, researchers have found after experiments that simulated spills in a Canadian lake.
Vince Palace, who led the work at the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Experimental Lakes Area in western Ontario, said that the methods currently in use for cleaning up spills in rivers and lakes – mostly digging up and dumping contaminated soil – are not particularly effective.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/bacteria-nature-clean-up-oil-spills/
Piping plovers, a small white-and-gray shorebird with striking orange legs, are making a comeback this summer – on the beach and at the bar.
The post Birds and Brews: Pour one out for the piping plover first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/07/30/birds-and-brews-pour-one-out-for-the-piping-plover/
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Strong thunderstorms caused widespread damage across Wisconsin, left tens of thousands without power and triggered tornado warnings.
The severe weather stretched from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan and began Wednesday evening in northwestern Wisconsin. By 2 a.m. Thursday, the numerous tornado warnings around the state had expired.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-severe-weather-wisconsin-widespread-damage/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/072821_severe_event
The Great Lakes are great for many reasons – their economic power, the lifestyle they provide millions of residents, as a getaway for tens of millions visitors and the livelihood it offers hundreds of thousands in lakes-related industries.
And then there’s the water. Summer sees the lakes filled with people soaking, swimming, skiing – and boating.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/boating-budget-great-lakes-recreation/
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major step against climate change, President Joe Biden is proposing a return to aggressive Obama-era vehicle mileage standards over five years, according to industry and government officials briefed on the plan. He’s then aiming for even tougher anti-pollution rules after that to forcefully reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nudge 40% of U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-biden-mileage-rule-obama-climate-goal/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD53E8AC.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261AD54A3C8WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD53255C.SevereThunderstormWatch.1261AD53ADB0WI.GRBWCNGRB.ad1d80ecab44b04a240f99f4963d960f
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD52A21C.SevereThunderstormWatch.1261AD53ADB0WI.WNSWOU9.ce7fb45095801d2966249396304c51b4
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD52A21C.SevereThunderstormWatch.1261AD53ADB0WI.WNSWOU9.88ae0cc9ff30bb1dd7fda01ed8f45ed2
Monroe County Health officials say the beach was shut down because of New York state-mandated clarity issues that could lead to high levels of E. coli. Read the full story by WHEC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-ecoli-beach
MI Clean Water Action is the statewide coordinator of the Oil and Water Don’t Mix campaign, and is focused on shutting down Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, among other initiatives. Read the full story by Lansing City Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-michigan-waters
An Ohio farmer as a part of Ohio’s H2Ohio program found that applying nitrogen-infused fertilizer to his fields three times in a growing season instead of all at once helped his crops use the nutrient more efficiently causing less nitrogen to end up in rivers and streams. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-oh2o-pollution
Food and water safety officials at Hamilton Public Health Services in Ontario announced the beach closure after the algae was discovered during a routine observation by city staff and tests later confirmed its identity. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-toxic-algae
Since 2019 the City of Duluth and the Corps agreed on a five-year plan to use some dredged material in an anti-erosion “beach nourishment” program, in this time the program ended up depositing sharp debris and has now been found to violate a 1978 court settlement favoring placement of dredge spoils away from shorelines where it would not end up in water. Read the full story by MinnPost.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-beach-dredging
NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry has awarded a grant to a multi-institution project led by Texas State University to study the vulnerability of the Lake Huron ecosystem to global change. Read the full story by Corridor News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-nasa-vulnerability-change
There have been a few reports of blue-green algae on Lake Superior over the years with a first confirmed sighting in 2012. This summer researchers from universities, state and federal agencies from around the region are undertaking a coordinated effort to intensively study and monitor Lake Superior to determine when and where blooms occur on the lake.. Read the full story by MPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-algae-blooms
Dan Egan, Journalist in residence at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Freshwater Sciences and author of “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” discusses the impact of climate change on Chicago and Lake Michigan. Listen to the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-climate-chicago
The head of Great Lakes Water Authority announced this week that she will resign, weeks after thousands of homes were damaged by sewage backups during a tremendous storm. Read the full story by Associated Press and Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-flooding
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD45D4C4.HydrologicOutlook.1261AD534438WI.GRBESFGRB.9a74e37923d995b15714a656c5ebca0a
Sea Grant won two communications awards in an international competition sponsored by Apex. Awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and the ability to achieve overall communications effectiveness. APEX Grand Awards honor the outstanding works in each main category, while APEX Awards of Excellence recognize exceptional entries in each of the individual subcategories.
The Trash Trunk, marine debris teaching tool, won a Grand Award in one-of-a-kind publications. The material was designed by Yael Gen, edited by Elizabeth White and written by education specialist Ginny Carlton, with contributions from other educators throughout the Great Lakes Basin.
The video Past, Present and Future Ciscoes: Wisconsin Sea Grant Research, produced by Bonnie Willison, won an Award of Excellence about this prevalent and varied fish species in Great Lakes waters.
“Both Yael and Bonnie are masters of their craft. They understand how best to reach audiences with engaging and informative pieces,” said Moira Harrington, assistant director for communications. “We are so proud of them. These awards only serve to confirm what we already know—they help us act as better stewards of the Great Lakes because they elevate our collective understanding of the freshwater seas.”
An invitation designed by Yael Gen for an event commemorating Groundwater Awareness Week also won an Award of Excellence that went to Sea Grant’s sister organization, the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.
The competition drew nearly 1,200 entries from around the world, including from Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and academic units.
The post Sea Grant wins communications awards first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-wins-communications-awards-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sea-grant-wins-communications-awards-2
The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI) won a communications award in an international competition sponsored by Apex. Awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the ability to achieve overall communications effectiveness. APEX Grand Awards honor the outstanding works in each main category, while APEX Awards of Excellence recognize exceptional entries in each of the individual subcategories.
An invitation created by WRI’s graphic designer Yael Gen for an event commemorating Groundwater Awareness Week won an Award of Excellence in design.
“We are honored to have been recognized for the effectiveness of this piece, which calls attention to an important topic—the value of our groundwater,” said Moira Harrington, assistant director for communications. “Yael is a talented designer, and her work ensures critical audiences, in this case state legislators and staff, learned more about this asset that feeds lakes and streams, and serves households along with agriculture and manufacturing needs.”
WRI’s sister organization, Sea Grant, also won awards for a marine debris teaching tool and a video about research on cisco, a Great Lakes fish.
The competition drew nearly 1,200 entries from around the world, including from including from Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and academic units.
The post Groundwater Awareness Week communication piece wins award first appeared on WRI.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/groundwater-awareness-week-communication-piece-wins-award/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hannah Brock, Great Lakes Echo
Toxins from harmful algal blooms are known to pollute water, but now researchers are looking at how they harm Great Lakes air.
And that also could have implications for human health, they say.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/great-lakes-algae-threatens-air-quality/
Parks around the Great Lakes are expecting a spike in visitation this season as the United States and Canada continue to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
The post Second Spike: Great Lakes parks anticipate increased visitation this summer first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/07/28/second-spike-great-lakes-parks-anticipate-increased-visitation-this-summer/
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Two companies seeking to build thousands of miles of pipeline across the Midwest are promising the effort will aid rather than hinder the fight against climate change, though some environmental groups remain skeptical.
The pipelines would stretch from North Dakota to Illinois, potentially transforming the Corn Belt into one of the world’s largest corridors for a technology called carbon capture and storage.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-carbon-capture-pipelines-offer-climate-aid-activists-wary/
ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge said Monday it had retrieved an anchor that broke away from a maintenance vessel while on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac.
The mishap occurred last Wednesday as a contractor for the pipeline company was doing seasonal work on the underwater section of Line 5, an oil line that runs between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-enbridge-anchor-michigan-straits-mackinac/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD362074.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261AD364658WI.GRBSPSGRB.4c2cad415c84659344a1a5d9c8d5d0d5
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/severe_heat_072721
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD35642C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261AD359E60WI.GRBSPSGRB.a7bba12e69a351d7c494cfb779b0ca87
ROCKTON, Ill. (AP) — Officials have found elevated levels of harmful metals in groundwater monitoring wells at a Rockton Superfund toxic waste site.
But the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency noted that the substances were not found in the municipal water system for the Village of Rockton. Its water was tested June 21.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-elevated-metal-levels-rockton-illinois/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD281718.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261AD283C98WI.GRBSPSGRB.8277e56207786573290cdaabd01b78b5
Six sailors from Ontario, along with three from Wisconsin and one from Illinois are in Japan and ready for the Olympic sailing competition.
Great Lakes Now Host Ward Detwiler spoke with three of them in advance of their travels:
Here’s how to watch and follow these Great Lakes sailors in the Games:
Reports from World Sailing
US Sailing Olympic Homepage
Sail/Voile Canada Olympic Homepage
Links to Live Coverage:
CBC Streaming Schedule for Sailing Events: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/sailing/streaming-schedule
NBC Olympics Streaming Site for Sailing Events:
https://www.nbcolympics.com/schedule/sport/sailing
Events and Schedules for the Great Lakes Sailors – start times for sailing events are 11 p.m.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/watch-great-lakes-sailors-2021-olympics/
As northern Michigan beaches get more crowded in the summertime, some people are flocking to small beaches off the beaten path. Read and hear the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-beaches
Michigan environmental officials said Friday that Enbridge Energy is working to remove a 15,000-pound ship anchor from the Straits of Mackinac lakebed. Read the full story by WDIV – TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-enbridge
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, alongside the governors of Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania, gathered in support of the PFAS Action Act, a bipartisan legislation the U.S. House of Representative voted to approve this week. Read the full story by WMTV -TV – Madison-Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-pfas
The latest good news from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is that Nellie and Nish, a piping plover pair, have mated and nested at Maumee Bay State Park, in the Maumee Area of Concern, near Toledo, Ohio. Read the full story by Ashland Source.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-piping-plovers
Energy intensive industries are expected to be discussed by a council advising the state of Michigan on a climate plan. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-climate
Researchers from Shedd Aquarium are ensuring that rivers in the Chicago, Illinois area are healthy enough to support the surrounding ecosystems. Read the full story by WLS -TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-chicago-research
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.8 million tons in June, an increase of 43.6 percent from 2020. Shipments were 6.6 percent above the month’s 5-year average. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-iron-ore
This year, Riveredge Nature Center in Wisconsin is partnering with the Harbor District and the Milwaukee Riverkeeper to celebrate sturgeon, the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan all in one event. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-sturgeon
Recently a University of Toledo student caught a huge goldfish while fishing in Lake Erie. Read the full story by Block News Alliance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-goldfish
Local Ohio farmers are signing up for the newly expanded program at the Ottawa County Fair and discussing practices they take to prevent fertilizer runoff into waterways. Read the full story by WTOL -TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-h2ohio
Local Ohio farmers are signing up for the newly expanded program at the Ottawa County Fair and discussing practices they take to prevent fertilizer runoff into waterways. Read the full story by WTOL -TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210726-h2ohio
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/humans-ncei-thelma-johnson
Canada has nine sailors heading to the Olympics, six of which hail from the Great Lakes. Sarah Douglas is one of them.
The post Sarah Douglas: From Lake Ontario to the Tokyo Olympics first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/07/26/sarah-douglas-from-lake-ontario-to-the-tokyo-olympics/
On July 19, 2021 the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent the air emissions permit back to regulators at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for the proposed PolyMet mine, due to information that the company may be planning a mine larger than proposed. For years, Freshwater Future has been supporting groups working on this issue such as Water Legacy, which has worked diligently on other permits for the mine such as the water pollution permit and wetlands fill permit. Mining in this special area adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness could not only harm this amazing wilderness area, but also set precedent for further mining.
Nine locations in Erie County, along the shoreline of Lake Erie, have been posted to keep dogs from swimming as the current toxin levels from algae are above safe levels for dogs, although they are not yet high enough to cause human warnings. While we have traditionally seen harmful algal blooms cause human warnings in the western end of the Lake, this reminds us that nutrient runoff can cause harmful effects across Lake Erie as well as most other lakes.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks recently awarded $1.9 million in 44 grants to help protect and restore the Great Lakes in the province. A wide range of projects were funded, including reduction of agricultural runoff into Lake Erie, shoreline remediation and cleanups, plastics removal from Georgian Bay, habitat protection on Lake Ontario, and improving public access to Lake Huron.
The state of Maine makes history becoming the first state and first world government to enact a ban on the water repellent and stain resistant chemical, PFAS and its 9,000+ variants from all products by 2030. This puts immense pressure on industry to make their products more consumer safe and hopefully blazes the trail for other states and eventually federal legislation to remove these human toxins called forever chemicals. Starting in 2023, manufacturers of products sold in Maine with PFAS intentionally added must report the use of PFAS to the state.
The federal administration is seeking additional public comments on changes to the federal Lead and Copper Rule, which regulates lead in drinking water. The deadline for comments is July 30, 2021. We are asking that you take a few minutes and use the talking points on our website to craft and submit your individual comments by clicking here.
Waterspouts on Lake Michigan
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines waterspouts as a whirling column of air and water mist. While that description doesn’t sound too exciting, you might be interested in this cool video of waterspouts on Lake Michigan!
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/freshwater-weekly/freshwater-future-weekly-july-23-2021/
