Michigan’s Invasive Species Grant Program is seeking proposals for this year’s funding cycle, with $3.6 million available for projects that could help mitigate intrusive species. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230906-mi-invasivespecies-proposals
A rule requiring greater outflow of Lake Ontario through the Moses-Saunders Dam to lower water levels will not be enforced, the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board has announced. Read the full story by the Niagara Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230906-board-lowerlakeontario-waterlevels
Ford House has chosen a company to help plan a $7 million project to restore the Ford Cove Lake St. Clair shoreline to its original native state. The area includes a mile of shoreline along Lake St. Clair plus more than 17 acres of marsh, nearshore habitat and forested wetlands. Read the full story by the Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230906-fordcove-project-lakestclair
On one evening each August, the organization Milwaukee Water Commons holds their We Are Water event to celebrate the gift of Lake Michigan. The event serves as a reminder of water’s essential role in taking care of us and the recognition of our duty to safeguard its existence. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-we-are-water-celebration-lakemichigan
Oswego, Illinois, was recently granted its Lake Michigan Water Allocation Permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. To get permission to tap Lake Michigan water, Oswego had to meet several criteria, including providing evidence that the aquifer it currently uses is no longer able to meet the village’s needs and that the other water source alternatives are not as viable. Read the full story by the Patch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-oswego-permit-lakemiwater
Benton Harbor, Michigan, residents have been inundated with challenges facing their water system for years, such as lead in pipes, ineffective corrosion treatment, and threats of water shut-offs. After years of public interest campaigns and $45 million in federal aid, almost all the lead pipes have been replaced. However, now residents have another issue to worry about – rising water bills. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-bentonharbor-leadlines-expensivewaterbills
In celebration of World Water Week, the Cedar Tree Institute hosted the Gift of Water Gala at Peter White Public Library located in Marquette, Michigan. “The Gift of Water” is a newly published anthology filled with essays about conservation and preservation, specifically focusing on and written by people connected to the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-giftofwater-safeguarding-water
Authorities have now determined that 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from a cargo ship into Lake Michigan, after it was breached earlier this month. Officials are still investigating what caused the Manitowoc’s hull breach Aug. 3, off the coast of Manistee, Michigan. Read the full story by WKAR – East Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-manitowoc-diesalspill-lakemichigan
Minnesota U.S. Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber has received the 2023 “Legislator of the Year” award from the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force for his work in supporting the maritime needs of the Great Lakes Navigation System, mining industry, the Duluth-Superior Port, and the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Mesabi Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-stauber-greatlakes-award
Several roads in Norton Shores, Michigan, will close as the city works to install new water lines to homes impacted by PFAS contamination. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-nortonshores-pfas-waterline
After years of rallying, recent national directives to further mitigate PFAS will address two sites on the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan, that have been leaching PFAS into nearby water bodies including the AuSable River and Clark’s Marsh. Last week, one of the suggested plans was officially adopted by the Department of Defense. Read the full story by WJRT-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-pfascleanup-oscoda-nationalpolicy
Each year, thousands of salmon find their way back to northwest Michigan to spawn, generating a significant tourism and fish economy in Manistee County, Michigan. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230823-fishing-manisteewaters-michigan
Michigan will spend more than half a million dollars on a slate of projects meant to support the state’s transition to renewable energy — for boats. Six companies will receive a total of $506,000 as part of a new grant program aimed at decarbonizing the region’s maritime industry. The first round of projects will develop electric boats, deploy solar-powered vessels and install charging stations. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-chargingstations-electricboats-michiganmarinas
There is a project in the works to install a “gantlet” system in the Des Plaines River at Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet to stop silver and bighead carp from reaching the Great Lakes. The $1.14 billion project is funded by the federal government and the states of Illinois and Michigan. Although the cost estimate has increased and progress has been slow, the project is in the last stages of design as Illinois prepares to sign an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction. Read the full story by The Pantagraph.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-scientists-invasivecarp-creativestrategies-protectlakemichigan
Port Colborne could enable an all-season Lake Erie shipping option when the St. Lawrence Seaway system’s locks are not operating, says a study from Fluid Intelligence. The study looks at the potential advantages of short-sea shipping services between southern Ontario and the U.S. Great Lakes region and was released in May. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-portcolborne-shortseashipping-lakeerie
Volunteers came together Sunday morning to help clean up trash at International Park located in Toledo, OH. The effort was put on by a group whose goal is to protect and preserve our Great Lakes. Sunday was the fourth stop on the Ultimate Great Lakes Cleanup Road Trip where organizers and volunteers are beautifying each of the Great Lakes in just one week. The first step in helping Lake Erie is to clean up the Maumee River. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-greatlakes-greatresponsibility-cleanup
The state is recommending that Michigan residents lower how much smelt they eat from some local bodies of water. New guidelines for smelt consumption were included in the state health department’s 2023 Eat Safe Fish Guides, with the agency saying people should limit their smelt consumption to just one serving per month for fish from Lake Michigan, as well as Portage Lake in Houghton County. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-smelt-michigan-lakes-guidelines
For decades, scientists have been drawn like magnets to a cluster of remote islands thirty-some miles out into northern Lake Michigan, halfway between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. The islands in the Beaver Island archipelago are a hub for scientific research about Great Lakes water quality, microplastics pollution, wetlands monitoring, and more. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-wetlands-waterquality-beaverisland
Some Chicago swimmers took on a challenge in the name of a good cause on Saturday. They have been swimming in Lake Michigan to raise money for cancer research. Read the full story by WLS-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-swimacrossamerica-lakemichigan
Swimmers and some boaters are being warned to stay out of parts of Lake Erie on Monday. A Beach Hazard Statement has been issued for swimmers in Erie, Lucas, and Ottawa Counties beginning in the afternoon on Monday, August 14. The warning then goes into effect for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Lake, and Lorain Counties later in the evening. According to the alert, wind and wave action could make for a high risk of rip currents. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-lakeerie-weatheralert
An opportunity to learn about shipwrecks and underwater photography is coming up on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena. As part of the Sanctuary Lecture Series, renowned underwater photographer and author Chris Roxburgh will host a free presentation, Exploring Shipwrecks of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-shipwrecks-thunderbay-explore
Did you hear about the Michigan man who crossed Lake Michigan in a bathtub (sitting backwards, no less) because of a $5 bet? Well, the 54-year anniversary of his voyage was this week. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230814-lakemi-crossedlake-bathtub
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one step closer to creating a new wetland ecosystem in Buffalo’s Outer Harbor. Construction on a stone breakwater in the abandoned shipping slip adjacent to Wilkeson Pointe is scheduled to begin in the fall and should be completed by November, the Corps announced last week. The new wetland will help reverse nearly a century of environmental degradation. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-buffalooutharbor-10years-revival
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday signed Michigan’s $57.4 billion general government budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which included funding for clean energy, conservation and environmental justice. Nearly $600 million is budgeted for Michigan’s water infrastructure, protecting access to drinking water, replacing lead service lines, rebuilding sewers, and more. Read the full story by the Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-michigan-newbudget-greatlakes
Lake Superior is known for its cool, blue beauty, but the largest freshwater lake in the world (by surface area) has a new antagonist: blue-green algae. The most recent bloom confirmed in the Thunder Bay (Ontario) District was reported on Lake Superior at Shuniah’s Birch Beach on July 28. Blue-green algae blooms aren’t common on Lake Superior, but experts say warming temperatures may make them more frequent. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-bluegreenalgae-lakesuperior-climatechange
Roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel is believed to have spilled into Lake Michigan through a hull breach on a stricken freighter. Absorbent boom was placed around the bulk freighter Manitowoc following the spill, which began about 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 2 while the ship was leaving Manistee. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-hullbreach-disesalfuel-lakemichigan
As the largest island in Lake Michigan, Beaver Island is a key stopover spot for migratory birds, as well as ideal habitat for resident nesting species. The island is home to a designated birding trail that took flight a decade ago, where enthusiasts annually host a special birding conference with guided field trips. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-beaverisland-greatlakes-birdwatching
Lampricides will be applied to the Big Manistee River in Manistee County this month in efforts to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom. The applications will be conducted between Aug. 15 and 24 by personnel from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-sealampreycontrol-lake-mi-tributaries
Michigan is the land of 11,000 lakes and 36,000 miles of streams. We are the Great Lakes State, but Michigan is also the land of 1.3 million septic systems – and the only state in the union with no uniform code to regulate them. Environmental regulators estimate that hundreds of thousands of Michigan’s septic systems are failing, flushing raw sewage that ends up where we swim, fish, drink. One local gem of a lake, however, will get some protections, thanks to the actions of a township board, nonprofit research and health department cooperation. Read the full story by The Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-septic-state-legislation-stagnate
According to Hamilton (Ontario) Region Public Health, the beaches at Binbrook Conservation Area and Valens Conservation Area tested unsafe for swimming as of Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. According to public health guidelines from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, water is considered unsafe for swimming when one sample contains 400 or more E. coli bacteria per 100 millilitres. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-hamilton-public-beaches-closures
Though the calendar still says it’s summertime, fall migration already has begun for some species of migratory birds, including the Great Lakes piping plover. Just this week the first juvenile piping plover from summer 2023′s fledglings was spotted on Sanibel Island, Florida. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-pipingplover-overwinter-florida
Empire Bluff Trail, known for knockout views of Lake Michigan and the park’s stunning shoreline, was the focus of a recent improvement project aimed at reducing erosion and environmental impact. The work included rerouting the trail around a steep hill with log steps that had become a harder climb due to high foot traffic in recent years. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-sleepingbeardunes-tailrerouted
‘Forever chemicals’, otherwise known as PFAS, are found nearly everywhere in a household – from cooking pans to rugs. While you may not be able to completely avoid the chemicals, there are some things you can do at home to reduce your exposure. Read the full story by WXIN-TV – Indianapolis, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-foreverchemicals-filter-water-at-home
Researchers with University of Wisconsin-Green Bay are surveying hundreds of wetlands around the region every year as part of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program. The program aims to monitor and assess Great Lakes coastal wetland health using biotic indicators and provide a baseline and method for tracking future changes in plants, animals, and environmental quality. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-wetlands-greatlakes-protection-habitatmonitoring
It might come as a surprise given their proximity to Lake Michigan, but Chicago’s neighbors southwest of the city could soon be facing a water shortage. The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer supplies groundwater to communities in Will, Kane and DuPage counties. The aquifer is beginning to collapse – it’s depleting, and this is a non-replenishable aquifer. This poses the challenge of managing and addressing a growing imbalance between flooding and water scarcity in the region’s water geography. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-waterscarcity-northernillinois
A recent experiment conducted in Collingwood and Parry Sound, Ontario has shown that microplastics can be caught before they end up in a wastewater treatment plant, and then likely in large bodies of water like Georgian Bay. Read and listen to the full story by Barrie News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-georgianbay-microplastics
The Pentwater River, located in Oceana County, MI is considered one of the major producers of the invasive Sea Lamprey in Lake Michigan. Crews treated the river with lampricides over the weekend, which kills the invasive species. Read the full story by the Ludington Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-sealamprey-pentwaterriver-mi-invasivespecies-treatment
A senior attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, says the Ohio EPA’s plan is woefully inadequate to meet the phosphorus-reduction goals for Lake Erie that have been agreed upon by Ohio, Michigan and Ontario, as well as the federal governments of the United States and Canada. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-epa-habs-maumeeriverplan
Boats set sail Saturday morning from Chicago’s Monroe Harbor for the annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. 230 boats traveled well over 300 miles to Michigan’s Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. Read the full story by WLS-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-boats-chicago-annualrace-mackinaw
Cruise ships, which once thrived on these lakes before all but disappearing in the 1970s, are making a remarkable comeback. Marketed as “expedition cruising,” the ships deliver tourists and their spending money to ports that for decades primarily served global markets with iron ore and wheat. Read the full story by The Brunswick News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-greatlakes-destination-cruiseships
A new industry-funded study finds shipping in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River supports more than 240,000 jobs in the U.S. and Canada, injecting billions of dollars into their economies. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-greatlakesshipping-jobs
A ferry carrying traffic across Lake Michigan suspended trips indefinitely on Friday after a mechanical failure of its ramping system. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-ss-badger-lake-michigan-suspends-ferry
Nearly 63% of beaches tested in the Great Lakes region last year had at least one day of fecal contamination that exceeded the EPA’s Beach Action Value. That tool helps states determine whether a beach is safe enough to go swimming. Read the full story by Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-epa-bacteria-beaches
The wreck of an early wooden schooner that capsized on Lake Michigan 9-1/2 miles southeast of Sheboygan in September 1885 has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Read the full story by the Sheboygan Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-sheboygan-shipwreck-nationalregister
The Ontario government is investing $6 million to support 30 multi-year projects that will help protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes, including two shoreline projects in Niagara. The investments will help reduce plastic litter and control excess nutrients and road salt entering lakes, rivers, and streams. Read the full story by The Niagara Independent.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-cleanup-shores-niagara
Organizations which work to protect Lake Superior are benefitting from an injection of multi-year funding from the province as part of a larger $6 million initiative to protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes. The Ontario government has announced 30 “science on the ground” projects so far, which aim to address a variety of challenges. Read the full story by Fort Frances Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-greatlakes-cash-rehabilitation
“Drink ‘em and sink ‘em” was the practice of fishermen who threw their beer and pop cans and bottles into the Great Lakes over 40 years ago. Don Fassbender, president of Great Lakes Scuba, a lake preservation dive club, once saw old cans underwater as far as he could see beneath Lake Superior. He posted a video of the dive on YouTube, showing the garbage he found and collected. Read the full story by the Gladwin County Record & Beaverton Clarion.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-scubadivers-greatlakes-cleanup
Ships carrying an estimated 12 million tons of cargo have passed through the St. Lawrence Seaway system into the Great Lakes through the end of June, roughly the same amount as last year. Read the full story by The Northwest Times of Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-internationalshipping-greatlakes
A ship that hasn’t been seen for almost a century and a half has been confirmed as found. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, Michigan announced an expedition on Lake Superior last year that led to the discovery of the Satellite, a tugboat that sank June 21, 1879. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-shipwreck-lakesuperior
Lead levels in drinking water in the city of Eastpointe, MI have exceeded state action levels for the second time in a year. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-highleadlevels-eastpointe-drinkingwater
