Great Lakes Echo
https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/05/27/study-mulch-shade-most-effective-methods-of-supporting-christmas-tree-survival/
By Bruce Carpenter, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work HERE.
The Lake Carriers’ Association said in a report this week that US-flagged shipping on the Great Lakes lost 82 ship days — a third of its 2026 season — because of “inadequate icebreaking” operations from the US Coast Guard.
“We only get nine months of shipping,” Eric Peace, the vice president of the association, said. “It’s a loss of a significant amount of time.”
Data from the US Coast Guard shows it assisted more than 400 vessels during the shipping season and spent around 3,000 hours breaking ice in the Great Lakes region.
The Lake Carriers’ Association said in a report this week that US-flagged shipping on the Great Lakes lost 82 ship days — a third of its 2026 season — because of “inadequate icebreaking” operations from the US Coast Guard.
“We only get nine months of shipping,” Eric Peace, the vice president of the association, said. “It’s a loss of a significant amount of time.”
Data from the US Coast Guard shows it assisted more than 400 vessels during the shipping season and spent around 3,000 hours breaking ice in the Great Lakes region.
“During the 135-day operational period, Dec. 9 to April 23, the Coast Guard successfully facilitated the safe and efficient movement of vital commercial vessel traffic,” wrote US Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Brandon Giles in a statement.
“Despite heavy winter conditions, our crews secured the regional maritime supply chain and ensured constant search and rescue readiness, achieving a record of zero casualties across all assisted transits.”
Data from the Lake Carriers’ Association shows that around 160 million tons of cargo move on the Great Lakes in commercial ships every year, between 80 million and 90 million tons of that on US-flagged ships.
While it is unclear how much economic impact the delays had, Peace said it can have ripple effects on the nation’s supply chain.
“Steel builds countries,” he said. “If we cannot actually have an efficient system here on the Great Lakes to ship that iron ore down from Lake Superior to the steel mills in the lower lakes, then we’re impacting the entire national economy and endangering our national economic security.”
The Lake Carriers’ Association said in a report this week that US-flagged shipping on the Great Lakes lost 82 ship days — a third of its 2026 season — because of “inadequate icebreaking” operations from the US Coast Guard.
“We only get nine months of shipping,” Eric Peace, the vice president of the association, said. “It’s a loss of a significant amount of time.”
Data from the US Coast Guard shows it assisted more than 400 vessels during the shipping season and spent around 3,000 hours breaking ice in the Great Lakes region.
“During the 135-day operational period, Dec. 9 to April 23, the Coast Guard successfully facilitated the safe and efficient movement of vital commercial vessel traffic,” wrote US Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Brandon Giles in a statement.
“Despite heavy winter conditions, our crews secured the regional maritime supply chain and ensured constant search and rescue readiness, achieving a record of zero casualties across all assisted transits.”
Data from the Lake Carriers’ Association shows that around 160 million tons of cargo move on the Great Lakes in commercial ships every year, between 80 million and 90 million tons of that on US-flagged ships.
While it is unclear how much economic impact the delays had, Peace said it can have ripple effects on the nation’s supply chain.
“Steel builds countries,” he said. “If we cannot actually have an efficient system here on the Great Lakes to ship that iron ore down from Lake Superior to the steel mills in the lower lakes, then we’re impacting the entire national economy and endangering our national economic security.”
Nearly 100% of America’s domestic iron ore passes through the Soo Locks with a value of $5 billion, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. In a statement, Peace said it took 96 hours for the first vessel carrying iron ore to cross the parallel locks and that 19 ships were stuck in ice for days before icebreakers assisted.
The association has long advocated for a new icebreaker to assist the over-40-year-old icebreaking tugs and the 21-year-old USCGC Mackinaw that the US Coast Guard utilizes. This winter, federal vessels “suffered significant engineering problems, which left them sidelined during the height of the need,” according to the association’s report.
Funding for heavy icebreakers was included in early versions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Congress passed last year, but was cut from the final version.
US Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said he fought to secure $25 million for the Coast Guard in the US Department of Homeland Security’s 2026 budget.
“Great Lakes shipping isn’t only important to the Midwest, it’s critical to the entire United States economy,” Peters said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the current lack of adequate icebreaking capabilities is contributing to these unnecessary delays to the Great Lakes shipping season. In turn, it’s disrupting key industries and the timely delivery of essential commodities that support Michigan businesses and jobs.”
According to Peace, around $80 million has been appropriated to the Coast Guard’s budget for preliminary work toward a new Great Lakes heavy icebreaker, but more needs to be accomplished before such a vessel gets in the water.
The Coast Guard estimates a new icebreaker could cost as much as $350 million.
“We’ve been able to get nickels and dimes, but we need $100 bills in order to get this thing procured,” he said.
US representatives in the Great Lakes region introduced a bill to help fund a new icebreaker, but it has remained in the House’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation since last July.
“They had an icebreaker under consideration last year, and Congress said, ‘We’ll use the money somewhere else,’” said Kevin McCormack, associate professor of operations and supply chain management at Northwood University. “They didn’t spend a dime, and now it costs a dollar.”
Peace said he hopes lawmakers will recognize when there are transportation issues on the Great Lakes.
“This happens every year here on the Great Lakes, andThe motor vessel American Mariner transits the St. Mary’s River in Michigan on Jan. 3. (Courtesy of Lt. Sam Pollard/The US Coast Guard) for some reason, we just can’t seem to get the Coast Guard to ask for the money to build a new icebreaker that we need.”
The post Great Lakes shipping lost third of season to ‘inadequate icebreaking’ appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/27/great-lakes-shipping-lost-third-of-season-to-inadequate-icebreaking/
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. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work HERE.
With Great Lakes whitefish in steep decline, should Michigan cast a lifeline to commercial fishers and allow them to catch other species?
That was the subject of debate Wednesday, as the state House Natural Resources and Tourism Committee took up a pair of bills that would overhaul the state’s commercial fishing regulations.
The biggest change would open access lake trout and walleye that are currently off-limits to most state-licensed commercial fishers.
Lake whitefish are the livelihood of Michigan’s struggling commercial industry, and they’re vanishing because invasive mussels siphon their main food source. Catches have plunged 70% since 2009.
“If something’s not done, we’re all going to go away in the next five or 10 years,” said Dana Serafin, a commercial fisherman out of Pinconning.
The proposition faces opposition from recreational fishers who vastly outnumber commercial ones: There are 1.2 million recreational fishing licenses in Michigan, with a collective economic impact of about $4 billion, while the state’s commercial fleet has dwindled to just a handful of boats bringing in a few million-dollars’ worth of fish.
In a letter, the Michigan Anglers Consortium contended commercial fishing would “introduce industrial-scale harvest pressure on species whose populations remain fragile.”
The Department of Natural Resources also opposes the bills, predicting they would invite lawsuits and increase tensions.
“These attempts at (a) wholesale rewrite of the entire commercial fishing statute (are) accomplishing one thing,” said Randy Claramount, the state’s fisheries chief. “It’s deepening the divide between recreational and commercial fishers.”
Both sides agree regulations are outdated. Many were written decades ago, when overfishing and invasive lamprey were the top concerns and the mussel crisis had not yet begun.
“Temporary rules became permanent policy while the lakes changed, the science changed, the economy changed,” said Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, a chief sponsor of the legislation.
Fishing access in the Great Lakes is controlled by a web of state law, policy and court settlements that divide access between recreational anglers, tribal anglers and state-regulated commercial fishers.
For the most part, commercial operations get the whitefish, recreational ones get the salmon and tribes and recreational anglers share the lake trout.
Lawmakers appeared divided on the legislation, with some criticizing the DNR’s current management tactics and others expressing concern about how the bills would affect the agency’s budget.
Rep. David Preston, R-Cedar River and a cosponsor of the legislation, described the hearing as the start of a prolonged conversation about the future of fisheries.
“We’re going to solve this,” Prestin said, adding that “I’ve got a room full of people that love fish, and we’re talking about fishing.”
The post Whitefish waning. Should Michigan have commercial trout, walleye catches? appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/27/whitefish-waning-should-michigan-have-commercial-trout-walleye-catches/
A Microsoft official said Tuesday the company doesn’t expect its data centers in the Great Lakes region will reach a threshold that would trigger greater review under the Great Lakes Compact. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-microsoft-data-centers-greatlakes-compact
For decades, efforts have been underway to clean up the Great Lakes from legacy industrial pollution, including polychlorinated biphenyls, a class of more than 200 manmade chemicals often known as PCBs. Cleanup crews have removed or contained millions of cubic yards of toxic sediment during a massive $1.3 billion remediation effort designed to protect Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-lower-fox-river-pcb-cleanup
A former Lower Fox River PCB cleanup worker is searching for answers after being diagnosed with cancer and questioning whether long-term exposure to toxic chemicals during the massive remediation project contributed to his illness. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-fox-river-toxic-chemicals-cancer-link-investigation
PCBs — toxic industrial chemicals banned in the U.S. decades ago — still persist in Great Lakes waterways because they accumulate in sediment and move through the food chain, especially in fish consumed by humans and wildlife. Despite long-term declines in contamination, PCBs continue to pose health and environmental risks across the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-pcbs-greatlakes-waterways-toxic-chemicals
Michigan congressman Tim Walberg has introduced new legislation intended to help prevent the spread of invasive species in the Great Lakes. His Aquatic Invasive Species Control and Prevention Act would support state-led and coordinated management efforts while improving coordination across federal, state, and regional programs. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-walberg-prevent-invasive-species
Michigan lawmakers are considering bills that would allow commercial fishers to catch species like lake trout and walleye as Great Lakes whitefish populations continue to collapse due to invasive mussels and ecosystem changes. Supporters say the move could save Michigan’s struggling commercial fishing industry, while recreational anglers and state officials warn it could increase pressure on already vulnerable fish populations and deepen conflicts over Great Lakes fisheries management. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-lawmakers-weigh-commercial-fishing-whitefish-decline
With the unofficial start of summer in the rearview, Michigan marine travelers crossing international borders in the Great Lakes are reminded to report their vessels to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations (CPB). Travelers can use the CBP ROAM mobile app to report their arrival without appearing in person at a port of entry. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-michigan-boaters-app-customs-report
In Michigan, the city of South Haven’s new lifeguard program is officially up and running, with the team taking to South Beach for the first time in 25 years this Memorial Day weekend. The return of the program has been years in the making as the families of drowning victims and Great Lakes safety advocates worked to convince city leaders it was the right move. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-great-lakes-safety-lifeguards-south-haven
About 213 acres along Lake Superior in Wisconsin’s Iron County have been permanently protected and transferred to the National Park Service to improve and expand the North Country National Scenic Trail, the nation’s longest national scenic trail. The acquisition will allow roughly three miles of the trail to be moved off roads and into scenic natural areas featuring shoreline views, waterfalls, and historic cultural sites near the Wisconsin–Michigan border. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-lake-superior-national-scenic-trail
Michigan has just one state park on Lake Erie, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. William C. Sterling State Park offers visitors camping at a campground or in cottages, fishing, sandy beaches and boating. Visitors also can explore history nearby by hiking the River Raisin Heritage Trail to nearby River Raisin National Battlefield Park. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260527-michigan-state-park-lake-erie
By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio
This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.
The National Park Service recently acquired more than 200 acres along the south shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin for the country’s longest national scenic trail.
The North Country National Scenic Trail is part of the National Park Service and stretches 4,800 miles across eight states from North Dakota to Vermont. About 1,500 miles of the trail has yet to be built.
The agency acquired 213 acres in Iron County this spring from the national nonprofit Trust for Public Land, said Chris Loudenslager, the trail’s superintendent. Iron County land records show the nonprofit group paid roughly $2.5 million to buy the property from a private landowner in September.
“When this property became available, that presented the opportunity to get the trail off the road and into a beautiful property that really provides for the type of experience the North Country National Scenic Trail is intended to provide,” Loudenslager said.
The National Park Service purchased the property with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The National Park Foundation and Wyss Foundation also offset costs of the acquisition for the Trust for Public Land.
Loudenslager said the purchase means officials will be able to move about 3 miles of the trail off road.
Efforts to protect the property go back almost 20 years, said Will Cooksey, senior project manager at the Trust for Public land. The land purchased will connect Saxon Harbor County Park to the Montreal River that separates Wisconsin from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“The property is outstandingly beautiful. It includes 1,300 feet of shoreline along Lake Superior, so it has commanding views of Lake Superior. Additionally, it has roughly 2,100 feet of shoreline along the Montreal River, including the mouth of the river with the lake,” Cooksey said. “This is a portion of the river that includes Superior Falls as it cascades down about 90 feet into a beautiful pool.”
Eric Peterson, forest administrator for Iron County, said the county had previously examined buying the property in 2017. He said thousands of people typically visit Iron County on Memorial Day weekend with many of them going through Saxon Harbor campground. He anticipates the acquisition may increase traffic in the future.
“With the North Country trail going through that property now and accessing Superior Falls and the Montreal River, that’s just another access point for people to go and see those things when they’re at our facility,” Peterson said.
Loudenslager said a historic trade route for Native Americans known as the Flambeau Trail followed the Montreal River through the area. It was also the site of a fur trading post operated by John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company from 1808 to 1830, according to the Trust for Public Land.
In a statement, Gov. Tony Evers said the acquisition builds on work to conserve lands in Wisconsin “while bolstering our highly successful outdoor recreation economy and ensuring these spaces are accessible for generations of Wisconsinites and visitors to come.”
Outdoor enthusiasts provided a record-breaking $12 billion boost to Wisconsin’s economy in 2024, according to most recent federal data released this year. Overall, the state’s outdoor recreation industry supports more than 100,000 jobs.
Loudenslager said the National Park Service will work with partners, including the North Country Trail Association, on scouting a potential route through the property while ensuring protection of cultural and natural resources. Construction of the trail could begin as early as next year.
“I think it’s a fantastic achievement for the North Country National Scenic Trail,” Loudenslager said. “It moves the needle toward completing the trail where we have the opportunity to get temporary road walks replaced by actual trail that not only benefits the hikers, but also benefits the local communities.”
About 210 miles of the trail run through Wisconsin, of which about 145 miles are ready to hike.
The post Around 200 acres protected along Lake Superior for longest national scenic trail appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/26/around-200-acres-protected-along-lake-superior-for-longest-national-scenic-trail/
By Corrinne Hess, Wisconsin Public Radio
This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.
Environmentalist and philanthropist Lynde B. Uihlein donated $10 million to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Foundation, one of the largest gifts in the school’s history.
The endowment will benefit the School of Freshwater Sciences, supporting student education and its faculty.
The money will also provide operating funds for the school’s research vessels, the R/V Neeskay and a new research vessel, R/V Maggie Sue.
UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson called the gift a “game changer” for the university and the School of Freshwater Sciences.
“Not only for its size, but to enhance the school’s mission and work,” Gibson said. “This is a transformative commitment to UWM, and its effects will be felt by generations of students.”
In 2019, an anonymous donor associated with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation committed $10 million to the School of Freshwater Sciences to build a research vessel. UWM’s largest gift came in 2023 when the Zilber Family Foundation announced $20 million to the College of Public Health.
This is not Lynde B. Uihlein’s first gift to UWM.
Uihlein established the Brico Fund in 1989, a nonprofit grant-making organization originally focused on feminism, that later expanded to include environmental projects.
The Center for Water Policy and an endowed chair position at UWM are funded by a $2.6 million gift Uihlein gave to the university in 2011.
Karen Schapiro, environment program advisor for the Brico Fund, spoke Thursday on behalf of Uihlein during an event at the School of Freshwater Sciences announcing her most recent gift.
“The work happening here stands at the forefront of discovery, innovation and stewardship,” Schapiro said. “It will expand opportunities for students, accelerate critical research and strengthen this world’s ability to address challenges from issues connected to water quality and quantity.”
Of the $10 million, $4 million will be used to support the core mission of the school including research, faculty and buying equipment; $4 million will fund the Center for Water Policy and $2 million will be used for year-round maintenance and operation of the research vessels.
In a statement, Uihlein said UWM’s freshwater researchers are an important safeguard for the Great Lakes.
“They provide drinking water for our children, jobs for the regional economy,” she wrote. “We must do all we can to protect and understand them. There is no place better to invest in this cause than UWM and the School of Freshwater Sciences.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2026, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
The post UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences receives $10M donation appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/25/uw-milwaukee-school-of-freshwater-sciences-receives-10m-donation/
A story from the 2026 Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup Every spring, the Fox-Wolf Watershed comes back into focus. Not because the creeks, streams, and rivers reawaken for the year, but because the people who depend on them show up to prove they still care. This year, more than 1,800 volunteers turned out across 80 sites [...]
The post Watershed Moments: The River Remembers What We Leave Behind appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
https://fwwa.org/2026/05/22/watershed-moments-river-remembers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=watershed-moments-river-remembers
From Lake Michigan to the Chicago River to streams and creeks across the state, there are tiny bits of plastic in Illinois waterways, according to a new report from an environmental advocacy group. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-illinois-pollution
A Traverse City, Michigan, protest draws attention to potential drinking water and ecosystem impacts from Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 pipeline tunnel. Read the full story by Planet Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-line5-protest
The Lake Carriers’ Association said in a report this week that US-flagged shipping on the Great Lakes lost 82 ship days — a third of its 2026 season — because of “inadequate icebreaking” operations from the U.S. Coast Guard. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-icebreaking-shipping
Connections to Lake Superior persist through tribal and commercial fishing, local communities, and copper, despite obstacles over time. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-lake-superior-connnections
The U.S. Coast Guard is marking the opening of Great Lakes boating season by increasing coverage and opening two seasonal air stations. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-coast-guard
Great Lakes Cruises is adding Buffalo, New York, as its newest destination stop as the city prepares to welcome its first cruise ship to sail to the area in decades. A new cruise ship terminal is expected to make its debut at Buffalo’s Outer Harbor in summer of 2028. Read the full story by WIVB-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-buffalo-cruises
With rain forecasted for the weekend, officials are closely watching Lake Ontario’s water levels as homeowners worry about possible flooding. Read the full story by WHAM-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-ontario-flooding
The Great Lakes cruising season is well underway with five ships already sailing up and down the freshwater coastlines, and Pearl Mist is returning to the Great Lakes for the twelfth year in a row. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-pearl-mist
There’s a new catch-and-release state record for lake trout in Minnesota, a 44-inch lake trout from Lake Superior in April, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Division. Read the full story by Bring Me the News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-record-trout
The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development voted to approve six additional listings to the state invasive plant list following public input and what the state says was a “rigorous” scientific review process. Read the full story by WLNS-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260522-mi-invasive-plants
Over 1,800 volunteers from across the region registered to came together to clean up the Fox-Wolf Watershed. Together, they tackled the parks, streets, shorelines, boat landings that connect our communities and they made a massive impact. But how massive? Let’s break down the numbers with some real-world comparisons that help show [...]
The post The Numbers are in for the 2026 Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup! appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
https://fwwa.org/2026/05/22/2026watershedcleanupnumbers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2026watershedcleanupnumbers
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/07/2026-09099/request-for-comments-on-the-national-weather-service-cooperative-observing-program-coop
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRMAlxUXIXFrV4uHgb4folZHyMO76UaUmucKCv4QDxyXlPwA/viewform
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRMAlxUXIXFrV4uHgb4folZHyMO76UaUmucKCv4QDxyXlPwA/viewform
Ever wondered what’s hiding in the deepest, darkest corners of the Great Lakes? Now is your chance to find out!
We’re teaming up with explorers and filmmakers Zach Melnick and Yvonne Drebert to send an underwater drone to the deepest known point in the Great Lakes and livestream what we find!
For years, Superior Maximus has gone unexplored. Who knows what’s waiting for us at the bottom of Lake Superior?
June 6
1pm
This livestream is weather dependent. Sign up for the Great Lakes Now newsletter to get updates and reminders about the expedition: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/great-lakes-now-newsletter/
#GreatLakes #Exploration #Livestream #Underwater #LakeSuperior #fish
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The post What lives at the bottom of the Great Lakes? appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/21/what-lives-at-the-bottom-of-the-great-lakes/
For more than five decades in public service, Senator Debbie Stabenow has helped shape the future of the Great Lakes region — not just through legislation, but through a deep belief that protecting these waters is a shared responsibility.
This year, the Alliance for the Great Lakes is proud to honor Senator Stabenow with our Lifetime Achievement Wavemaker Award at the 2026 Great Blue Benefit.
During a recent conversation reflecting on her career, Senator Stabenow spoke less about politics and more about stewardship. About growing up in Clare, Michigan, in a family that believed if you benefit from something, you have a responsibility to give back.
That belief would shape a career dedicated to protecting the waters that millions depend on every day.
“Michigan is very much in my bones,” she shared. “But the Great Lakes are also part of my DNA.”
Growing up in the “Great Lakes State” meant summers spent swimming, boating, fishing, and traveling with family to places like Traverse City and Lake Michigan. Water wasn’t something distant or abstract. It was woven into everyday life.
That personal connection later fueled some of the most significant Great Lakes protections in modern history. One of Senator Stabenow’s earliest efforts in the U.S. Senate was leading the push to ban oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes after proposals surfaced that could have put the region’s waters at risk.
She also helped create and secure funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which has delivered billions of dollars toward restoration projects, invasive species prevention, water quality improvements, and long-term environmental protection across the region.
But throughout the conversation, Senator Stabenow repeatedly returned to one central idea: the importance of taking the long view.
Environmental progress rarely happens overnight. Protecting the Great Lakes requires persistence, partnerships, and people willing to keep showing up year after year — even when the work takes decades.
That philosophy mirrors this year’s Great Blue Benefit theme: The Long View.
“We need to remember that challenges facing the lakes are significant,” she said, “and that it can take years, even decades, to go from identifying a problem to implementing a solution.”
That long-view leadership can also be seen in projects like the Soo Locks modernization effort, where Senator Stabenow spent years building support for critical infrastructure that protects jobs, manufacturing, shipping, and the broader regional economy.
And while much of her public legacy is tied to water protection, she also highlighted the connection between land conservation, agriculture, forests, and water quality through programs like the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
Perhaps most importantly, Senator Stabenow spoke about the responsibility Great Lakes residents have to continue telling this story.
“People who don’t live here don’t know it,” she said. “This is the ocean without the salt.”
That perspective — seeing the Great Lakes not just as geography, but as a globally significant freshwater system worth fighting for — has guided her work for decades.
As she steps away from elected office after 50 years of public service, Senator Stabenow hopes the next generation continues that work with urgency and care.
“If you are the only one, you may get attention for that,” she reflected while discussing her role as one of the first women in leadership positions throughout her career. “The only way you get power is if you turn around and lift the next person up.”
At the Great Blue Benefit this year, we recognize not only Senator Stabenow’s accomplishments, but the permanent impact of leadership rooted in service, collaboration, and a belief that protecting the Great Lakes is work worth committing a lifetime to.
The post Honoring Senator Debbie Stabenow’s Lifetime of Leadership appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2026/05/honoring-senator-debbie-stabenows-lifetime-of-leadership/
By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio
This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.
Canadian energy firm Enbridge can keep building a new stretch of its Line 5 oil and gas pipeline in northern Wisconsin except in waterways where the company needs additional permits, a Bayfield County judge ruled Friday.
The decision is largely a win for Enbridge and its embattled project to reroute Line 5 around the Bad River Tribe’s Reservation in northern Wisconsin. The judge, however, granted a partial victory to the tribe and environmental groups who sued for review of a decision upholding state approvals for the reroute. In February, an administrative law judge upheld permits issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the project.
In Friday’s order, Bayfield County Circuit Court Judge John Anderson said the tribe and groups failed to persuade him that he should pause approvals for the project altogether.
“Enbridge’s permits previously granted are stayed only in relation to work areas along Line 5 for which Enbridge is required to obtain additional permits,” Anderson wrote.
The tribe and environmental groups argued Enbridge was ineligible to obtain permits to install structures in certain rivers and streams because the company didn’t own the land next to those waterways. The judge agreed the practice under which the company is now obtaining permits at four waterway crossings “may be on tenuous legal footing.”
In a statement, Bad River Tribal Chairwoman Elizabeth Arbuckle said she is happy with the judge’s decision to halt some work on Enbridge’s reroute of Line 5.
“We are bound by a need and desire for clean water to drink, a clean environment for animals and plants to thrive in, and a commitment to the highest quality of life for our people,” Arbuckle wrote. “We hope the Court will keep the stay in place and hear us out fully in the weeks to come.”
Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner called the ruling an important decision that allows the company’s work to continue, saying Line 5 delivers fuel that’s critical for Midwest refineries.
“State permits for the project were approved after an exhaustive four-year review by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and then upheld after a year-long independent review by an administrative law judge. Federal permits have also been received from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” Kellner wrote.
Under the ruling, Enbridge can’t move ahead with construction of permanent structures to stabilize banks in four creeks where erosion could threaten water quality or exposure of new pipe that would be installed. The company and landowners applied for permits that have not yet been issued by the DNR.
Enbridge’s Line 5 carries up to 23 million gallons of oil daily from Superior across northern Wisconsin and Michigan to Ontario. The company proposed a 41-mile reroute of Line 5 after the Bad River Tribe sued in 2019 to shut down the pipeline on its lands. The project would cross about 200 waterways and affect around 100 acres of wetlands in Ashland and Iron counties.
The $450 million project has undergone years of review, protests, tens of thousands of comments and legal challenges. Proponents say the project would employ 700 union workers and contribute $135 million to Wisconsin’s economy. Opponents point to multiple spills on Enbridge pipelines including the release of almost 70,000 gallons of oil in Jefferson County in 2024.
In 2023, U.S. District Court Judge William Conley ordered Enbridge to shut down or reroute Line 5 around the Bad River reservation by mid-June this year and ordered the company to pay $5.15 million for trespassing on roughly 2 miles of tribal lands. Both the tribe and Enbridge appealed the decision. In March, Conley paused his shutdown order until a federal appeals court issues a ruling, citing potential “devastating” impacts of a sudden shutdown.
The post Judge halts some work on Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute in northern Wisconsin appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/21/judge-halts-some-work-on-enbridges-line-5-reroute-in-northern-wisconsin/
By Lauren Dalban, Inside Climate News
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.
Legislation that would reduce plastic waste in New York is advancing in the state Legislature amid a contentious debate over chemical recycling.
If it passes, New York would have one of the strongest controls on plastic packaging in the country and could reduce the amount of non-recyclable packaging in the state by 30 percent over the next 12 years. It would also require that packaging producers contribute funds to recycling and disposal efforts.
The bill, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, stalled during the previous two legislative sessions. Among the sticking points for plastics producers is chemical recycling, an umbrella term for a variety of processes that use heat, pressure and chemicals to break down plastics after they’ve been used.
Under the law, chemical recycling would not be classified as recycling, despite its name—much to the dismay of organizations such as the American Chemistry Council, a trade group that represents producers of plastic packaging.
“It’s sort of just a big polluting behemoth everywhere it goes,” said state Sen. Pete Harckham, a co-sponsor of the bill, referring to chemical recycling. “That has been one of the major stumbling blocks.”
In a 2025 memo, the American Chemistry Council, along with business representatives and plastics producers such as ExxonMobil, said that the mandatory packaging reductions are “unreasonable” and that the bill “inappropriately” excludes chemical recycling. The council declined to respond to questions from Inside Climate News.
Chemical recycling, also called advanced recycling, differs from mechanical recycling, which shreds used plastic into small pellets and reuses them in new packaging. Most chemical recycling in the United States breaks down plastic using pyrolysis, an energy-intensive, high-heat process that produces oil and chemical components for new plastics.
It can also produce tons of what the Environmental Protection Agency terms “hazardous waste,” meaning it can harm human health or the environment. Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator and now the president of the nonprofit organization Beyond Plastics, which targets plastics production and pollution, said the process doesn’t produce much new plastic.
While the bill faces an uphill battle in the final three-and-a-half weeks of this session, lobbyists will keep advocating for chemical recycling in the legislation—even though it’s a “red line” for environmentalists, Harckham said.
Around 15 percent of municipal solid waste in New York is plastic. In 2022, research showed that less than 10 percent of plastic waste was made from recycled material. Plastic also degrades when it is reused, which means that it can’t be recycled infinitely like glass or metal.
Recycling plastic is complicated, said Helene Wiesinger, a chemist and science communication officer with the Food Packaging Forum, a nonprofit that researches food packaging. She studies plastic recycling in Switzerland.
Though the industry touts chemical recycling as a solution because it can break plastics down and reuse the building blocks, Wiesinger said, it’s not always possible. Some of these chemicals in plastic “don’t get broken down,” and much of it ends up burned as fuel.
The few chemical recycling plants in the United States typically use pyrolysis. Veena Singla, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council who studies chemical recycling, said pyrolysis is often inefficient. It is energy intensive, requires extreme heat and produces relatively few usable components for new plastics, she said. Pyrolysis also produces an oil from plastic, which can then be used as a fuel—though it must often be diluted with fossil fuels to be used effectively, Singla said.
A still-pending 2024 lawsuit by California’s attorney general against a pyrolysis-based chemical recycling operation alleges that just 8 percent of the plastic waste accepted there gets converted to feedstocks for new plastic.
EPA documents show that the roughly one dozen chemical recycling plants across the country are classified as “large quantity hazardous waste generators.” This hazardous waste often contains benzene, a chemical that can cause certain types of cancer and negatively affect the bone marrow, which produces red blood cells.
Alterra Energy, a chemical recycling facility in Akron, Ohio, released 130 pounds of benzene to the air through piping or smokestacks in 2024, the company reported to the EPA. The prior year, it reported shipping 60 tons of benzene—the cumulative weight of around 27 cars—to be incinerated off site.
Alterra Energy did not respond to requests for comment.
The facilities, regulated by multiple EPA programs, are classified as incineration facilities under the Clean Air Act. But the Trump administration has proposed a rule to change that.
In a recent opinion piece in The Hill, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin wrote that the EPA will move to classify pyrolysis as manufacturing, limiting the pollution regulations that facilities would be subject to.
Enck, the advocate for the New York plastics bill, has said she expects “significant concessions” will be made to pass the bill, but argued that chemical recycling should not be one of them.
Last year the bill passed the state Senate but never made it to the Assembly floor. If it passes both chambers this year, it must clear a final hurdle: Gov. Kathy Hochul could veto it or amend it through an informal agreement with bill sponsors.
Hochul uses that “chapter amendment” process in one out of every seven bills on average, New York Focus reports. Enck worries that the plastics bill may get diluted that way.
When asked about this possibility, Harckham said: “You can compromise on details, but you can’t compromise on values.”
The bill also bans certain toxic chemicals from plastic packaging, like PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” Harckham’s staff said that recent legislative amendments to the bill removed some toxic chemicals from the banned list and extended timelines for compliance with the new program and recycling requireEnvironmental advocates join state legislators and health care professionals to urge the passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act on Monday in Albany, N.Y. Credit: Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Imagesments.
The bill is “central to New York’s waste management strategy and our climate strategy,” Harckham said.
The post New York Plastics Law Advances Amid Debate Over ‘Chemical Recycling’ appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/21/new-york-plastics-law-advances-amid-debate-over-chemical-recycling/
By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work HERE.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced a $108 million settlement with Monsanto Co. to address longstanding environmental contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) across the state.
States, including Michigan, filed lawsuits against Monsanto over long-term environmental contamination caused by PCBs, a toxic industrial chemical the company manufactured for decades before it was banned in the United States in 1979. The states allege that PCBs persist in waterways, soil, and wildlife and continue to pose risks to public health through environmental exposure and fish consumption.
The cases seek to hold the company financially responsible for cleanup costs and damage to natural resources.
The settlement funds will support cleanup and restoration of PCB-impacted sites across Michigan, with oversight shared by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Officials said the money will be used to reduce contamination risks, improve water quality, and restore damaged natural resources.
Under the agreement, Monsanto will pay Michigan $32 million in June and another $32 million in March 2027. Additional contingency payments tied to related litigation could range from $44 million to $176 million, bringing the total potential value of the settlement to as much as $240 million.
EGLE officials said no specific cleanup projects have been selected yet, but the agencies will work together to determine where funding can remediate PCB-contaminated sites and restore impacted natural resources. The agencies plan to consult with local governments, tribes, and environmental organizations, and may distribute some funds through grants and matching programs.
Nessel said the settlement ensures accountability for longstanding pollution tied to the chemicals.
“Despite being banned for years in the United States, PCBs leave a toxic legacy that continues to threaten our health and environment,” she said in a statement.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced a $108 million settlement with Monsanto Co. to address longstanding environmental contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) across the state.
States, including Michigan, filed lawsuits against Monsanto over long-term environmental contamination caused by PCBs, a toxic industrial chemical the company manufactured for decades before it was banned in the United States in 1979. The states allege that PCBs persist in waterways, soil, and wildlife and continue to pose risks to public health through environmental exposure and fish consumption.
The cases seek to hold the company financially responsible for cleanup costs and damage to natural resources.
The settlement funds will support cleanup and restoration of PCB-impacted sites across Michigan, with oversight shared by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Officials said the money will be used to reduce contamination risks, improve water quality, and restore damaged natural resources.
Under the agreement, Monsanto will pay Michigan $32 million in June and another $32 million in March 2027. Additional contingency payments tied to related litigation could range from $44 million to $176 million, bringing the total potential value of the settlement to as much as $240 million.
EGLE officials said no specific cleanup projects have been selected yet, but the agencies will work together to determine where funding can remediate PCB-contaminated sites and restore impacted natural resources. The agencies plan to consult with local governments, tribes, and environmental organizations, and may distribute some funds through grants and matching programs.
Nessel said the settlement ensures accountability for longstanding pollution tied to the chemicals.
“Despite being banned for years in the United States, PCBs leave a toxic legacy that continues to threaten our health and environment,” she said in a statement.
Officials with Monsanto, now owned by Bayer AG, said the settlement resolves PCB-related claims without any admission of liability or wrongdoing. The company said PCBs were a legacy product it stopped producing in 1977 and noted that additional payments are tied to a separate lawsuit over whether former industrial customers must help cover PCB-related legal and cleanup costs.
Michigan is among a growing number of states that have reached settlements with Monsanto over PCB-related claims. According to the company’s litigation update, it has settled with 12 states, including Michigan and Rhode Island.
The post Michigan gets $108M in Monsanto settlement to clean up PCB contamination appeared first on Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/20/michigan-gets-108m-in-monsanto-settlement-to-clean-up-pcb-contamination/
U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes lost a total of 82 ship days, or about a third of the season, due to inadequate icebreaking. At one point 19 vessels were stopped for multiple days in the ice, waiting for icebreakers to clear the way. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ice-breaking
Michigan environmental regulators on Tuesday announced they are seeking input on a request to reissue one of the permits needed to move forward with construction on the controversial Line 5 tunnel project. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-line5-input
Rising utility bills and increased noise aren’t the only concerns surrounding data centers. They’re also making headlines over fears they could contribute to lower water levels in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WFLD-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-data-centers
Michigan will receive a $108 million settlement from Monsanto Co. to address longstanding environmental contamination from PCBs across the state. The money will be used to reduce contamination risks, improve water quality, and restore damaged natural resources. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-pcb-settlement
The Port of Green Bay, Wisconsin, closed for several weeks due to swift waters from inland flooding. The port reopened to traffic Thursday. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-green-bay
Lake Ontario water levels recently rose above key thresholds, putting shoreline communities at risk of flooding. Read the full story by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ontario-levels
Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, typically gets state and federal money to add sand to its beaches. This summer’s work will start in July with only state funds. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-erie-sand
A coalition of Ontario conservation authorities wants to know what you value about the Lake Ontario shoreline, and they’re travelling the 100-kilometre stretch between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Oakville, Ontario, to find out. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ontario-waterfront
A new book, “The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby,” explores the life of a prolific Midwestern naval architect whose vessels once carried passengers who are still alive today. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ship-architect
Michilimackinac State Park, just below the Mackinac Bridge on the southern shore of Lake Huron, in Mackinaw City, Michigan, is slated for a full revamp. The proposed project includes a pavilion, accessible picnic areas and a pergola for weddings, interpretive signage, refreshed landscaping and irrigation. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-park-revamp
Great Lakes Echo
https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/05/19/world-cup-2026-brings-sustainability-promises-and-environmental-concerns/
Great Lakes Echo
https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/05/19/new-book-dives-into-history-of-phenomenal-great-lakes-ship-architect/
This project has ended. Archived project materials are available below.
The Great Lakes Commission launched Conservation Kick in March 2020 to create a water quality marketplace for the Great Lakes Basin. Building on the pioneering vision of the Great Lakes Basin Compact to efficiently and responsibly develop, use and conserve the water resources of the Basin, Conservation Kick aims to keep soil and nutrients out of the Great Lakes and protect drinking water by allowing utilities, industries and businesses, nonprofit organizations and concerned citizens to invest in water quality credits.
Over the past decade the Great Lakes Commission has designed and led watershed-scale water quality trading efforts in Wisconsin’s Fox River Basin and the Western Lake Erie Basin. Conservation Kick takes lessons learned from these efforts to catalyze water quality trading across the Great Lakes Basin. Conservation Kick will expand the universe of credit buyers and reduce the transaction costs that often present a barrier to entry in traditional water quality trading markets.
Conservation Kick was supported by Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
From 2016 to 2018, the Great Lakes Commission developed and piloted the Erie P Market to address the excessive runoff of pollution from agricultural land that contributes to the formation of algal blooms and dead zones in the Great Lakes. The project was designed to test water quality trading and stewardship crediting as nutrient reduction tools capable of crossing state and provincial boundaries in the Western Lake Erie Basin. Click here to learn more about Erie P Market.
From 2013 to 2016, in partnership with the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Great Lakes Commission developed and piloted the Fox P Trade program with funding from a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant. This project was designed to alleviate high nutrient levels and algal blooms in Wisconsin’s Lower Fox River Watershed by establishing a water quality trading market. Click here to learn more about Fox P Trade.
Nicole Zacharda
Program Manager, Great Lakes Commission
nzacharda@glc.org
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/work/enviromarkets
Nutrient pollution, largely driven by agricultural runoff, remains one of the most significant threats to water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin. When nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, wash off the land and into nearby waterways, they fuel harmful algal blooms that threaten drinking water, harm public health, degrade aquatic ecosystems, and disrupt local economies.
Despite ongoing conservation efforts, progress has been limited by a critical gap: we have not had enough detailed, upstream data to understand exactly where within watersheds runoff is occurring, when it is happening, or how nutrients are moving through the landscape. Without that information, it is difficult to target solutions effectively or measure whether investments are working.
To address this challenge, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, in partnership with LimnoTech and Michigan State University’s Institute for Water Research, developed a high-density water quality monitoring network across five priority sub-watersheds in Michigan. Supported by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Erb Family Foundation, the network includes 50 monitoring sites and 200+ sensors that continuously track rainfall, soil conditions, water levels, turbidity, and nutrients.
What makes this network unique is its ability to capture water quality data with new technology at a much finer scale than traditional monitoring. Rather than measuring conditions only after pollution reaches Lake Erie or at further downstream reaches, this system tracks how water and nutrients move through headwaters, agricultural ditches, and streams in near real time. It also captures conditions during rain events – when most nutrient runoff occurs – and includes subsurface monitoring to better understand how tile drainage contributes to nutrient transport. Together, these capabilities provide a more complete picture of how pollution moves across the landscape.
After the first year of monitoring (August 2024–July 2025), early findings are already revealing important patterns, while also highlighting the need for continued data collection to confirm long-term trends.
This monitoring effort is designed to do more than generate data; it is intended to support better decision-making and more effective water quality policies. By identifying where pollution originates and how it moves, the network can help direct conservation investments to the areas where they will have the greatest impact.
Just as importantly, this data could provide value to farmers by offering clearer insight into how water moves across their fields and how management decisions influence runoff. With more localized, real-time information, farmers can better target practices, improve efficiency, and make informed decisions that keep nutrients on the field rather than losing them to waterways.
The data could also provide a way to evaluate which conservation practices are working. Over time, the network will allow stakeholders to measure the effectiveness of strategies such as cover crops, wetland restoration, and drainage management, and adjust approaches based on real-world outcomes. In addition, this level of transparency improves accountability by allowing agencies, policymakers, and the public to track progress toward water quality goals.
Ultimately, this information supports more strategic, science-based policies and on-the-ground practices that align funding, conservation efforts, and regulatory approaches with measurable improvements in water quality.
This is the first year of a multi-year effort, and additional data are needed to fully understand long-term trends, particularly nutrient loads. Early findings are clear: how land is managed has a direct impact on how water and nutrients move through the system. As more data are collected, this network will track changes over time and link conservation actions to measurable outcomes. By improving our understanding of where pollution comes from and how it moves, this work helps direct solutions, strengthen policy, and drive meaningful progress toward cleaner water in the Western Lake Erie Basin.
The monitoring network is publicly accessible through an online dashboard that provides near real-time data across all monitoring locations. Users can explore trends in rainfall, water levels, turbidity, and nutrients, and begin to see how conditions change across watersheds and over time.
Visit the Dashboard: https://greatlakes.org/wlebmonitoring/
The post Understanding Water Quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2026/05/understanding-water-quality-in-the-western-lake-erie-basin/
A judge in Bayfield County, Wisconsin halted work in four locations in the state where Enbridge needs more permits to install structures. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260518-line5-halt
