A team of Michigan State University researchers hope to make use of an unlikely tool in Michigan’s fight against the new coronavirus: human waste. Read the full story by The Bridge.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200512-corona-wastewater
As construction of the Great Lake Tunnel Project is set to begin in 2021, Earthjustice and Native American Rights Fund attorneys have filed a petition to participate as a party in the Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel Project proceedings. Read the full story by Up North Live.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200512-enbridge
As Flint’s city council considered a possible backup source of drinking water from Lake Huron, some councilmembers expressed concern that the lake may become contaminated. Read the full story by WEYI – TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200512-flint-water
Water levels in the upper St. Lawrence River are close to peaking well below the record levels experienced during the flooding of 2017 and 2019, the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority said on Monday. Read the full story by The Recorder and Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200512-stlawrence
With improved weather conditions, sea wall construction has been continuous along the Lake Michigan shoreline for the past month. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200512-seawall
The water level forecast into summer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows a range of possible outcomes; with heavier than normal precipitation Lake Michigan and Lake Huron could reach the highest level recorded since the late 1800s. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200512-lake-levels
The $922 million passage now under construction at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, would be large enough to handle the 1,000-foot lakers that carry taconite from Minnesota and Michigan to steelmakers along the lower lakes. Read the full story by Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200512-lakers
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — As New York City confirms more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, bucolic Essex County four hours north tallied its 32nd case since the outbreak. But the mountainous corner of upstate New York is under the same statewide lockdown rules as the pandemic-besieged city.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/05/ap-coronavirus-new-york-city-upstate-areas-reopen/
GREAT LAKES BASIN – In a letter sent today, organizations representing the Great Lakes states, tribes, binational agencies, state legislators, municipalities, conservation organizations, labor, businesses, and ports joined their voices in urging Congress to include critical Great Lakes investments in legislation to stimulate economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
“We urge you to invest in the Great Lakes to help our region and nation recover from the devastating coronavirus pandemic,” the letter reads. “Funding can be administered quickly through existing programs and swiftly generate job growth and new economic activity across the eight-state Great Lakes Basin. Environmental improvements, including ensuring safe drinking water for over 40 million people, will accelerate community recovery and revitalize the Great Lakes Basin economy while fueling the national economic recovery.”
Investments would modernize outdated water infrastructure to protect drinking water and public health; help communities respond to high lake levels and climate impacts; strengthen the Great Lakes navigation system; and accelerate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to implement ready to launch cleanup projects that will spur economic development in coastal communities, while sustaining efforts to block the introduction of Asian carp and implement agricultural conservation practices to prevent harmful algal blooms.
These investments are endorsed by the Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus and BlueGreen Alliance. They reflect broader priorities for investing in the Great Lakes as an economic powerhouse and natural treasure that were released by the groups earlier this year.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/joint-stimulus-051220
What the USGS is Doing
Crews are in the field to keep the USGS’s streamgage network of about 11,300 instruments working properly, perform on-site measurements of flooded rivers, and measure high-water marks as flood waters recede.
In the coming days and weeks, USGS crews will continue to monitor streamgages, make flood measurements in the field to determine how much water is flowing, and provide other data used for flood forecasting and flood-control reservoir management.
Flood Information is Critical to Public Safety
The data from the USGS’s nationwide streamgage network provides vital information to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Weather Service, and other federal, state and local agencies, enabling them to make river forecasts, operate flood control structures, and make important emergency management decisions. Frequent measurements are needed during flooding to document possible changes in the stream’s channel, which could affect the river level.
Responding during COVID-19
The response to spring flooding is complicated this year by COVID-19. The USGS is working to provide flood information that is critical to the public safety while also keeping employee safety and well-being a priority.
"Our field crews are working long days to help provide critical streamflow information for flood forecasting," said USGS National Flood Hazard Coordinator Karl Winters. "Despite the challenges associated with COVID-19, our field crews have made nearly 800 streamflow measurements per week over the last six weeks."
USGS water science centers are thoroughly evaluating needs for streamflow measurements and prioritizing streamgages most useful to flood forecasting and management.
Field crew partners are traveling to streamgage sites in separate vehicles, often with single-person crews, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment and practicing social distancing. Overnight trips are limited, so crews are often working longer days to make round-trip visits to sites. Crews are also leveraging the many tools made available to work from home and remotely meet with others when possible.
Despite the recent challenges, USGS crews made more than 20,000 streamflow measurements nationwide between January 1 and April 20, 2020.
Looking Towards the Future
As some states hit by severe weather begin to return to normal, others are preparing for what’s to come or dealing with continued flooding and the dangers that come with it. As snowpack is expected to continue to melt across the West and hurricane season begins on June 1, the USGS will continue to monitor stream conditions and use data collected to prepare for current and future flood events.
For up-to-date info on conditions in your area visit the USGS WaterWatch website. Sign up for high-water alerts at the USGS WaterAlert website.
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USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
https://www.usgs.gov/news/usgs-responds-spring-flooding
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C598DC4.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F4C5B1270WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding across the country as spring weather is in full swing. Warming temperatures, increased precipitation and snowmelt have caused moderate to major flooding in the upper Midwest, East Coast, Central Plains and the Southeast portions of the country.
Region 3: Great Lakes
http://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/usgs-responds-spring-flooding
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/05/12/covid-takeaways-good-nights-sleep-less-planning/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C57EA3C.FreezeWarning.125F4C598BD0WI.GRBNPWGRB.48d00994005a1fe690af0f9988d0f500
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C4B4840.FreezeWarning.125F4C598BD0WI.GRBNPWGRB.48d00994005a1fe690af0f9988d0f500
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/05/11/chips-candy-runs-over-even-after-covid-19/
In 2021 Navy Pier will be home to Chicago’s newest marina. Navy Pier Marina will be the first marina on Lake Michigan to exclusively offer short term, transient docking facilities with immediate access to The People’s Pier dining, shopping and entertainment. Read the full story by WITI-TV-Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-Navy-Pier
May is typically a huge month for hunting and guiding businesses. Coronavrius shut-down restrictions will prevent most of that business from happening this year. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-fly-fishing
The walleye are out there, but Lake Erie charter boats not willing to engage in rule-breaking haven’t been; that is scheduled to change in Ohio on Tuesday. Read the full story by the Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-Erie-charter
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and concerns for employee safety, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will not collect lake sturgeon or muskellunge eggs this spring. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-DNR-stocking
PFAS compounds have been detected in Milwaukee Estuary, which was designated as an Area Of Concern. Thirteen locations in the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers, along with the inner and outer harbors, and one location in Lake Michigan, were sampled for 35 different PFAS compounds. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-PFAS-milwaukee
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $795 million contract to Marinette, Wisconsin based Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corp. for detail design and construction of its FFG(X) class of guided-missile frigates. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-Navy-contract
A new Rochester Institute of Technology study estimated that Lake Erie includes 381 metric tons of plastic – more than 50 times greater than the previous estimates at the surface. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-plastic
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission recently approved its 2020 Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan. The plan reflects the state of Ohio’s strategic priorities for the next two years to protect, preserve, and restore Lake Erie and its watershed. Read the full story by The News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-Erie-Protection
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron have broken water records as predicted, and the levels are expected to rise further in the coming months. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200511-water-level
By Frank Jossi, Energy News Network, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
Armed with her cellphone, Ellen Biales spent an hour last month transmitting video of her St. Paul home to an energy expert who asked questions and dispensed advice.
Biales was among the first Minnesotans to receive a virtual Home Energy Squad visit from the Center for Energy and Environment.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/05/minnesota-covid-19-coronavirus-home-energy-inspections/
The state agency that has to green light Enbridge Energy’s controversial pipeline in a tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac hit the pause button on the process last week when it told the company it needs additional information.
The new pipeline would replace the 67-year-old existing Line 5 that runs through the bottom of the straits.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/05/permit-michigan-egle-enbridge-line-5/
So many fantastic plants and animals call the Great Lakes their HOMES. In this lesson, you’ll learn the difference between native and invasive species. You’ll learn how invasive species came to the Great Lakes. And you’ll find out what invasive species do to food webs. Then you’ll take a fun quiz to see some examples of native and invasive species.
This activity will take between 30 minutes and an hour.
You’ll need:
Watch the video below to learn about native and invasive species.
Ask your kids: Which Great Lakes plants and animals have we seen at a Great Lake or around our home? Do you think they are native – have they always lived near the Great Lakes? Invasive species were brought to the Great Lakes, many by accident. How are invasive species harmful?
Complete the Great Lakes Creatures Quiz to learn more about some native species that live in the Great Lakes and some invasive species that pose threats to this important ecosystem.
Choose a Great Lakes creature to draw, color or create. With adult permission, create it using modeling clay, paint it on your window, or chalk it on the sidewalk. Write the creature’s name and one thing that makes that species unique or special. If you need ideas for a creature to choose, check out our Great Lakes Creature Cards.
Parents: Take a photo of the creature creation and share it on social media. Tag us in your creation, and we may share it with others!
Want to learn more? Check out these resources!
Find more Great Lakes lessons at H.O.M.E.School.
The post H.O.M.E.School Week 6: Native and Invasive Species appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2020/05/homeschool-native-invasive-species/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C4A4D14.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F4C4BD030WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/05/11/reading-cleaning-replaces-social-media-and-phone-use/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C3C0538.FreezeWarning.125F4C4A4990WI.GRBNPWGRB.4e107059946e8dc8fdfba709d16f67b0
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C2BD6A4.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F4C390B80WI.GRBSPSGRB.90324354550314ecc9f1f61bf785a0b7
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C2BD6A4.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F4C390B80WI.GRBSPSGRB.c7af4845f2e9eb88e57e1747a63d15f5
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C2A5068.FreezeWarning.125F4C2BC510WI.GRBNPWGRB.c06ba20bf13691d5770cef02a6e7355a
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/2020/05/pfas-new-york-incinerator-oscoda-senate-bills-settlements/
Calling postdoctoral and post-master’s candidates for a new fellowship opportunity tackling science and policy related to hydrology and stream flow. The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will fund the position for two years.
The arrangement brings the fellow’s technical skills to the DNR. In turn, the fellow receives valuable real-world science-policy experience from resource professionals serving as mentors. This mutually beneficial partnership will result in advancing science to support policy decisions as well as valuable training opportunities for new professionals entering the work force.
Further details for the opportunity, which closes on June 5, are available here.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/seeking-applicants-for-new-fellowship-opportunity/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/05/08/loss-of-social-connection-challenges-recovering-addicts/
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is supporting a bill introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives that reverses the Trump Administration’s roll-back of clean water protections. The “Clean Water for All Act” stops the Trump Administration’s removal of protections for streams and wetlands—waters that feed public drinking water supplies for more than 117 million people across the country, including nearly 30 million people in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:
“We wholeheartedly support this bill. Clean water is a basic need. With many of our cities and towns living with unsafe drinking water, we need more – not less – protection for clean water. We cannot allow pollution into small waterways without it affecting the rest of the water we all depend on. We all know wetlands and streams flow into small rivers, which flow into bigger rivers, and into lakes, including our Great Lakes, and ultimately the ocean. We look forward to working with elected officials to support this bill and protect our drinking water, our Great Lakes, and our public health.”
Within two years of the bill’s passage, a new clean water rule is to be crafted by the administrator of the EPA and secretary of the Army. According to the bill, the rule must prevent any: degradation of surface water quality; increased contaminant levels in drinking water sources; increased risks to human life or property; and disproportionate adverse impacts on minority or low-income populations.
The post Coalition Supports Bill Reversing Trump Attacks on Clean Water appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/coalition-supports-bill-reversing-trump-attacks-on-clean-water/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4C1D0228.FreezeWarning.125F4C2BC510WI.GRBNPWGRB.c06ba20bf13691d5770cef02a6e7355a
Hundreds of thousands of anglers will hit Minnesota’s lakes and rivers Saturday for the general fishing opener, but they will be doing it without professional guides or charter captains leading the way. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-charter
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy requested revisions to Enbridge Energy’s permit application to build a tunnel for the Line 5 oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, specifically noting it was too long for the public to review. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-permit
Dozens of homeowners in northern Ottawa County who went decades without flooding problems are now seeing water infiltrate their basements. Heavy rains were not as damaging when the water table was lower. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-flooding
A seasonal ferry that sails Lake Huron between South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula, the Chi-Cheemaun usually launches in early May and runs until mid-October. This year, it will open in June but only for essential travel. Read the full story by Northern Ontario Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-ferry
The Port Hope Project and Port Granby projects, a $1.3-billion combined Canadian federal investment for a multi-year cleanup of low-level radioactive waste in the Lake Ontario communities, were set to enter their largest construction phase as the coronavirus pandemic began and effectively halted work. Read the full story by Global News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-cleanup
The Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association is still looking to the federal government for financial and marketing support of the industry as it is feeling the pinch with the COVID-19 pandemic, as none of the $62.5 million in federal funding for fisheries went to Ontario. Read the full story by the Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-fisheries
Lakefront tourism officials were initially worried about the bad reputation beaches are getting due to major erosion issues, but then the coronavirus came along and made an uphill battle even harder. Read the full story by WSBT-TV – Mishawaka, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-tourism
Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan provides habitat for anywhere from one-third to half of all nesting Great Lakes piping plovers in a given year — and as such, is home to an active plover monitoring and protection program. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-plover
The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has broken ground on a 3,500-square-foot commercial fish processing facility for Red Cliff Fish Co. that will process commercial fish and provide packaged products to distributors and local markets. Read the full story by the Ashland Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-fish
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday will host a virtual field trip to learn about how scientists explore the bottom of Lake Huron and discover what lies below the surface. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-sanctuary
The University of Minnesota Duluth recently received a grant for half a million dollars to look more into how climate-driven disturbances are impacting the Great Lakes. Read the full story by KQDS-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200508-climate
