DTE Energy must soon stop depositing a toxic waste product into surface water ponds at two Michigan coal-fired power plants because the facilities are not adequately protecting nearby groundwater, regulators say. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230126-dte-toxiccoalash-miplants
Winter spreading of manure is a practice that is under intense scrutiny because of the elevated risks for nutrient losses and its effect on water quality. The risk of runoff to surface water increases when applied on frozen or snow-covered ground. Read the full story by Environmental Defence Canada.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230126-wintertimefarming-waterpollution
The pace is picking up with the development of the waterfront Science North project in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Organizers are closing in on their end dates in the schematic design phase of the project, which is expected to wrap up on March 31. Read the full story by the Chronicle Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230126-thunderbay-waterfront-sciencecenter
Great Lakes ice coverage is running way behind averages in the milder than normal winter weather. This early week analysis of the percent of each Great Lake with ice underscores how the milder than normal winter weather has impacted ice coverage. Read the full story by WGN-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230126-greatlakes-icecoverage
From Milwaukee, Mark Jones and his wife set off on a cruise around the Great Lakes, travelling north to Mackinac, where the tips of lakes Michigan and Huron merge. Read the full story by the Daily Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230126-commentary-greatlakescruise
The EPA has not been active at Wurtsmith since 2014, when it ended participation in cleanup after the Department of Defense (DOD) stopped funding its involvement. The state has struggled to obtain compliance from the Air Force, which has pushed back strongly on EGLE’s oversight and enforcement attempts. The result has been years of poor communication, technical and legal disputes and Air Force refusal to accept responsibility for PFAS in many areas. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-epa-fortwursmith-pollutioncleanup
A proposed 18-kilometre pipeline from Oneida Nation of the Thames would connect to the same system that supplies treated Lake Huron Water to London and other municipalities. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-oneida-lakehuronwater
Experts have found that ice contains oil spills, making for an easier cleanup, but there’s a catch – it also makes it harder to detect. Read the full story by Iron Mountain Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-ice-oilspills-containment
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority released a study saying the economics don’t support putting wind turbines in the Great Lakes of Erie and Ontario. The Great Lakes Wind project, as proposed, doesn’t offer the same benefits to the electric grid as other offshore wind projects while relying on unproven technologies that call the project’s effectiveness into doubt. Read the full story by the Observer Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-statestudy-windturbines
The Lower Fox River basin covers four counties including Brown, Claumet, Outagamie and Winnebago. The clean-up on the Lower Fox River focused on polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs). Although the clean-up itself was completed in 2020, a final stage known as a state closure was only recently approved. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-lowerfoxriver-pcbcleanup
It is well known that birds are constantly shifting their migration patterns to adjust to many factors from coastlines to industrial and other constructed structures, but the Great Lakes have now been found to be another factor. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-greatlakes-birdmigrationpatterns
The damage from the Blizzard of 2022 is evident along many sections of Buffalo’s waterfront. Some experts think that more natural barriers, such as vegetation, should be used along the shoreline, versus hardened walls. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-protectinglakeerie-shoreline-storms
The city of Hamilton, Ontario, says it has uncovered another sewage leak that has been dumping waste into Lake Ontario for more than two decades. The revelation comes after the city reported in November that a leak discovered to be from 1996 had dumped 337 million liters of sewage into the Hamilton harbor in the 26 years it went undetected. Read the full story by the Toronto Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-hamilton-sewageleak-lakeontario
Captains from across the Great Lakes area gathered in Traverse City, Michigan, for the annual Industry Days conference. The conference focuses on learning from each other and how to keep passengers on ferries, tour boats and other mid-sized boats safe while out on the water. Read the full story by WPBN – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-captains-greatlakes-traversecity
Michigan author and Great Lakes historian Ric Mixter is speaking in Bay City this month on his latest book, “Tattletale Sounds: The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations,” which promises new information on the wreck nearly half a century later. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230111-newinfo-edmundfitzgerald
For the past few years, the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, Minnesota has had a goal of boosting its attendance to break the 200,000-visitor mark. The organization just announced that it surpassed that goal in 2022, welcoming over 206,000 visitors through its doors. Read the full story by Fox 21 News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-greatlakesaquarium-newrecord
Wisconsin’s Great Lakes ecosystems are graded in a new international report. The analysis from the International Joint Commission noted Lake Superior’s forest watershed and coastal wetlands help maintain high water quality. Read the full story by WHBL – Sheboygan, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-greatlakes-scorecard
There are tens of thousands of abandoned wells throughout the Great Lakes region. Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania have each received a $25 million grant from the federal government through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to plug orphan wells. Orphan wells can contaminate groundwater through the leakage of chemicals like hydrogen sulfide and arsenic, both of which are harmful to humans. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-federalfunds-orphanwells
Invasive black carp are spreading through the U.S. Midwest and are threatening Illinois waterways. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources believes black carp have moved up the Illinois River as far as central Illinois. Read the full story by the Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-invasive-blackcarp
The City of Detroit has been awarded $5.8 million in funding from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to redevelop four contaminated properties in the city. EGLE has awarded $2.8 million in funding from brownfield grants and loans and has approved $3 million in brownfield tax increment financing. Read the full story by CBS Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-egle-redevelop-contaminatedsites
What happens if oil spills under ice in freshwater? Researchers have determined the ice can contain the oil, making for an easier cleanup — but it’s harder to detect. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-line5-oilspills-ice
A new letter clarifies why Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is urging the state’s Department of Natural Resources to reject a National Guard proposal to expand Camp Grayling. Read the full story by the Petoskey News Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-pfascleanup-egle-dnr-campgrayling
To better guide the interventions of emergency services, scientists from the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Quebec have mapped underwater vegetation in the St. Lawrence River to prioritize places to protect during maritime incidents. Read the full story by The Saxon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-underwatervegetation-oilspill
High chloride levels in freshwater can be toxic to aquatic life, increase the potential for harmful algal blooms, disrupt the ecosystem of a river or lake and seep into groundwater, which can corrode pipes and other infrastructure. In other words, that handful of extra salt you’re throwing onto the sidewalk could eventually, in a different form, damage a fish in a nearby river. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-roadsalt-impactsonfreshwater
The U.S. Coast Guard said the tow boat Michigan started to sink in the Port of Milwaukee on Monday this week. Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan was notified by the National Response Center that the tow boat sank in 26 feet of water. As of Wednesday, the Coast Guard said there is no pollution from the boat and they have deployed safety measures for containment. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230106-milwaukee-tugboat
A major agreement on how to divvy up fishing rights in parts of the Upper Great Lakes was finalized among four Indigenous Tribes and both state and federal fishery regulators and now awaits approval by a federal judge. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-tribalgreatlakesfishingdeal-federalreview
The Great Lakes are likely to see warmer and wetter conditions due to climate change, but the effects of climate change on water levels aren’t as clear. Scientists say communities around the Great Lakes should prepare for swings in high and low water levels to boost their resilience. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-climatechange-waterlevels-greatlakes
A group of four organizations representing Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes basin have written the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence governors and premiers to advise that the Ontario government is currently in breach of the 2005 Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Sustainable Water Resources Agreement. The organizations have submitted concerns that with Bill 23, the Ontario government intends to exacerbate this breach. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-greatlakesgov-ontario-breach
A sediment cleanup project at Munger Landing in Duluth, Minnesota, is part of a larger effort to restore and delist the St. Louis River Area of Concern. The cleanup will help restore eight acres of aquatic habitat, replace the motorized boat landing, and construct a new sandy paddle sport launch. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-sediment-cleanup-mungerlanding
In a warming world, Michigan’s water will become even more valuable. Much like oil, sufficient systems will need to be in place to utilize this rare resource. Michigan’s projected population increase puts pressure on its infrastructure. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-freshwater-michigan-infrastructure
As work on the new Soo Lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, shifts towards nearly a decade of construction, it’s facing a wave of new problems nearly every sector is dealing with, including increased costs and a lack of workers. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-soolocks-construction
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday it will increase the number of Chinook salmon stocked in Lake Michigan. The change will increase the annual production target for Chinook from 225,000 to 275,000 starting in the spring of 2023. Read the full story by WANE-TV – Fort Wayne, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-chinooksalmon-lakemi
Tribal water systems are sampled for “forever chemicals” at a much lower rate than other water systems, according to a new study from the PFAS Project Lab at Northeastern University. For the most part, testing isn’t being done on tribal systems because they’re smaller. However, this is leaving gaps in knowledge for those who rely on the water systems. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-foreverchemicals-tribalsystems
The Great Lakes Water Authority Board of Directors approved the transfer of more than $1.5 million in additional funding for Flint residents through its Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP). WRAP is a two-year program that aids eligible households through water bill credits, arrearage assistance, and water conservation assistance. Read the full story by WNEM-TV – Bay City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221214-greatlakes-portauthority-flintresidents
According to the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System, freshwater jellyfish were first found in Michigan in 1933 in the Huron River near Ann Arbor. Since then, they have been found in Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair and dozens of inland lakes and streams. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-freshwaterjellyfish-michigan
Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday the state will contribute $25 million towards the Cuyahoga River Gorge Dam Removal Project. The project will remove the last remaining dam on the lower Cuyahoga, restore more than a mile of river access for community use, while also reestablishing fish and wildlife habitat. Read the full story by Ideastream.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-ohio-gorgedam-removal
The Great Lakes region has plenty of natural resources, yet the West Coast dominates a recent ranking of environmental policies of the nation’s 100 most populous cities. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-greatlakes-greencities
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s real estate company on Friday joined city officials and others to formally unveil its master plan for a stretch of the Cuyahoga riverfront near downtown. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-cuyahogariver-waterfrontplan
The findings of the 2022 Auditor General’s Report point to the province’s failure to clarify its commitments to manage urban flooding and a failure to adequately support municipalities and homeowners to effectively tackle the problem. Read the full story by CBC/Radio-Canada.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-ontario-urbanflooding
The U.S. Coast Guard announced this weekend that its 2022 Christmas Tree Ship run has been a success. The crew of the cutter Mackinaw pulled up alongside Navy Pier a few days ago and has now finished offloading 1,200 Christmas trees, which will go to Chicago area families. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-lakeerie-coastguard-christmastrees
Dozens of people took to the frigid waters of Lake Erie on Saturday as the annual Polar Bear Plunge returned to Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, ON. Entry was by donation with all proceeds from the event benefiting Brain Injury Association of Niagara. Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-lakeerie-polarbearplunge
In recent years, scientists have discovered increasing amounts plastic particles in deep oceans, Arctic snow, drinking water, and even breast milk. With some plastic specks small enough to infiltrate cells and tissues, some studies have suggested a correlation to certain cancers and various health problems, especially with microplastics leading to levels of chemical toxicity. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-microplastics-scientificdiscovery
A Line 5 shutdown would create a full-blown economic and energy crisis, which are risks Michigan manufacturers simply cannot afford — neither can the customers who rely on the products we create. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221205-commentary-line5
In Michigan, plans for The Docks development on Muskegon Lake that include a new marina and 240 homes are the subject of a public hearing hosted by the state’s water resources division. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-thedocks-marina-lakemidevelopment
In Hammond, Indiana, Perch America has stocked Wolf Lake 24 times, adding an estimated 124,000 advanced-growth walleye to the lake over the years. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-greatlakes-noaaship
Exploring new territory, the commanding officer of the NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson and his crew have discovered multiple shipwrecks on the lakebed of the Great Lakes. The ship surveyed Lake Erie and Lake Ontario last spring for the first time in over 30 years. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-greatlakes-noaaship
While Great Lakes fish populations are constantly in a state of flux, one species has declined precipitously in the last decade: lake whitefish. But Great Lakes leaders and fisheries managers are looking ahead in planning to do more with less. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-greatlakes-iceland-whitefisheffort
Studying pollution in the St. Lawrence River reveals information about relationships between societies and nature. What changes inside the water as it travels past cities, farms, islands, ports, factories? Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-water-pollution
Four days after a proposed agreement to improve western Lake Erie management efforts was opened for public comment, the state of Ohio held a webinar on developments with the H2Ohio program that aims to improve water quality. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-h2ohioprogram-fouryears
Agricultural producers and landowners in the Western Lake Erie Basin interested in implementing conservation practices are able to apply for funding through the Tri-State Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The funding opportunity was recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Read the full story by The Daily Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-funds-agproducers-nrcs
