The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Thursday unveiled a new, 10-year plan for further examination of acidification of the country’s oceans, coastline and Great Lakes. The plan includes expanding monitoring and research on the impacts of Great Lakes acidification. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-noaa-plan
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, awarded more than $2 million to a Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, company to dredge the Duluth-Superior Harbor and use the dredged material to rebuild eroded shoreline and dune habitat in Minnesota. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-dredge
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer criticized Enbridge Energy for refusing to take financial responsibility for any damages caused by a potential oil spill from its pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WTTV–TV – Indianapolis, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-enbridge
New standards limiting how much toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS can be in Michigan’s public drinking water will take effect August 3 after a legislative committee adjourned without taking action to block or change them. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200721-carp
A decade ago, the disastrous oil spill on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan raised awareness about the dangers of piping oil throughout the Great Lakes region. The spill’s impact continues to be felt in communities along the Kalamazoo River and around the Great Lakes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-kzoo-spill
A new collective of community foundations called the Smart Citizen Science Initiative wants to combine big data and smartphones to grow community interest in protecting Lake Erie and its tributaries. The group hopes to deploy a small gadget that can be connected to a smartphone to measure algae in the lake and connecting waterways. Read the full story by WBFO – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-smartphones-in-lakes
The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its grand opening, an event that connected Indiana to the world economy. Today, the Port of Burns Harbor supports over 30,000 jobs and contributes $4.6 billion in economic activity to the local economy each year. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-indiana-burns-harbor
A young man from Kettle & Stony Point First Nation and the Saugeen Ojibway Nationis on a 28-day canoe journey along the shore of Lake Huron to help others understand the importance of the lake and the complex and troubled relationship between the water, First Nations, and settler populations. Read the full story by Anishinabek News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-anishinaabe-journey
As the Great Lakes approach record high temperatures this summer, warmer waters in Lake Erie increase the likelihood of toxic algae growth that impacts drinking water and recreation on the lake. Read the full story The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-warm-lake-habs
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council is presenting a series of virtual workshops this summer and fall on green stormwater infrastructure to promote stormwater management options in Cheboygan, Michigan, and is offering residents rain barrels to reduce stormwater runoff. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-tip-of-the-mitt
A new report prepared for Environment and Climate Change Canada revealed the extent of garbage floating around the Great Lakes. Microfibers from clothing and cigarette butts are the most common types of trash found in the lakes. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-trash
Scientists predict that warmer temperatures in Lake Huron associated with climate change will harm ecosystems and biodiversity in the lake. Fish populations are sensitive to temperature fluctuations and warm waters harm reproduction in many fish species. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200722-huron-temps
Satellite images show the summer algal bloom in western Lake Erie expanding out from Maumee Bay along the Michigan shoreline and into the open waters of Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-habs-expanding
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization in Ontario has proposed a new nuclear waste disposal site near a previously rejected site on the shores of Lake Huron. Read the full story by the Voice News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-nuclear-threat
The Ohio Power Siting Board’s unanimous decision to place requirements for protecting birds on the proposed offshore wind sets the right precedent for wind projects on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-protect-the-birds
As high lake levels continue to erode shoreline along Lake Michigan, the state of Michigan is granting permits to homeowners to install armored shoreline features to protect their property. However, scientists warn that hard shoreline barriers interrupt the Great Lakes’ natural processes in ways that will worsen erosion over time. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-seawalls
As temperatures rise in the Great Lakes and conditions become more ideal for harmful algal blooms on the lakes, scientists expect to see increased bloom occurrences and greater toxicity. Read the full story by the Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-temps
Some shoreline communities in Michigan are using an engineered solution known as “beach renourishment” for temporary relief from shoreline erosion. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-sand-renourishment
Two reports created by New York state agencies recommending further studies of offshore wind on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie were met with concern by groups that oppose wind energy on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Niagara Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-ontario-shores
Officials at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, closed several beaches after spotting an algal bloom along the shoreline. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-presque-isle
A resolution passed by the Michigan House of Representatives opposing a nuclear waste disposal site in Ontario near Lake Huron has yet to be heard by the Michigan Senate. The bill is part of an ongoing effort by Michigan and U.S. elected officials to oppose the proposed site in Canada. Read the full story by the Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-michigan-bill-nuclear
The U.S. House of Representatives passed new legislation pledging to share 80 percent of the cost for a project to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WKBD-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200717-house-bill-carp
Amid the ongoing summer heat, the Great Lakes are warming up faster than usual and predicted to rise several degrees in early July. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-temps
A Michigan judge Wednesday allowed Enbridge to resume pumping oil through the Line 5 pipeline in the Great Lakes. The pipeline was shut down for nearly a week after Enbridge reported damage to a structure anchoring the pipeline along the bottom of the lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-line-5
With renewed focus on the dangers of Line 5 to the Great Lakes, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces significant political, legal, and economic challenges as she works towards fulfilling her campaign promise to shut down the oil pipeline. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-whitmer
For the first time in 103 years, the Manitou Island Transit ferry service is not sailing to North and South Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan. High water levels caused unsafe and poor dockage on the islands, causing the company owners to cease operations for 2020. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-manitou-ferry
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program awarded more than $100,000 to support coastal management and restoration projects along the Lake Michigan coastline near Kenosha and Racine. Read the full story by the Kenosha News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-kenosha
NOAA is interested in extending the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary into part of the St. Lawrence River to protect two shipwrecks not currently covered within the boundary. Read the full story by North Country Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-st-lawrence-ships
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a reminder to residents avoid eating fish from the Huron River and avoid foam on Michigan lakes and rivers known to have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water. Read the full story by WEYI – TV – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-pfas
Michigan closed 11 beaches over contamination concerns linked to an unexplained spike in the bacteria count in the water of one inland lake beach, and possible toxic algal blooms in multiple spots in the Upper Peninsula. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-beaches
A new farm water management system installed in Monroe County, Michigan will help conserve water on the farm field and keep Lake Erie cleaner this summer. Read the full story by the Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-farm-management-system
Habitat managers at Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve in Ohio are fighting the spread of invasive phragmites and flower rush to ensure the park maintains its unique biodiversity of flora and fauna. Read the full story by The News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-mentor-marsh
Enbridge Energy shut down part of the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac following “significant damage” to an anchor support on the lake bottom. Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer demanded that Enbridge cease all oil transport in the pipeline, including the undamaged segment, until they could provide the pipeline’s integrity. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-line5
The new H2Ohio initiative will fund voluntary conservation efforts by Ohio farmers to improve soil quality and reduce runoff from crop fields that contributes to harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. Proponents support the collaborative, science-based approach of the initiative, but some environmentalists remain skeptical that it will achieve the intended outcomes. Read the full story by Civil Eats.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-h2ohio
As Chicagoans return to the lakefront following easing coronavirus restrictions, they will find a transformed shoreline with flooded pathways and disappearing beaches. High-lake levels along the lakes are forcing cities to spend money on repairing and reinforcing damaged shoreline to keep city residents and municipal infrastructure safe. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-lakefront
The U.S.’s first freshwater wind farm is in limbo after regulators in Ohio told wind developers that they must do more to understand how their turbines will impact migrating birds. Environmentalists critical of the windfarm say that the stipulations to monitor bird and bat activity at the sites prior to installation is a critical step that should be the precedent for any wind turbines going on Lake Erie. Read the full story by Washington Post.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-erie-wind
Michigan’s Muskegon County has applied for a $10 million state grant to buy a former sand mining site on Lake Michigan and convert it to a public park that would include space for camping, hiking, fishing and kayaking. Read the full story by WNEM – TV – Bay City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-muskegon-park
The Joliet, Illinois City Council will convene for a workshop to study the options and understand public comments as it considers the options between building a Joliet pipeline to Lake Michigan or getting water from the city of Chicago to increase its drinking water supply. Read the full story the Herald News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-joliet-dw
Two buoys have been deployed in Green Bay to monitor weather conditions as well as the quality of the water, which will help researchers understand under what conditions toxic algal blooms form in lower Green Bay. Read the full story by WFRV-TV- Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-water-safety
During periods of high-lake levels on Lake Erie, residents and businesses along the shoreline face new realities that affect daily life and force people to either adapt or leave. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-erie-angst
A mass of vegetation and grasses was discovered floating in Muskegon Lake near Lake Michigan last week. The origin of the floating vegetation is unknown but is thought to be a consequence of high lake levels eroding dunes along the western shore of Michigan. Read the full story by the Daily Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-floating-isle
Multiple law enforcement agencies used the clear weather to do dive team training in Lake Michigan to practice search and rescues, evidence collection, and salvage operations. Read the full story by WWUP – TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200622-dive-teams
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) wants to create a new federal entity focused on reviving the Great Lakes region, improving water quality, and creating jobs in states hit hard by the pandemic and unemployment. Read the full story by E&E News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200617-kaptur
Public records released Tuesday indicate that the state of Michigan knew as early as January 2019 that the Edenville Dam did not meet state flood control standards and was aware of safety concerns. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200617-edenville-dam
A new cleanup project of the Kinnickinnic River near Milwaukee, WI, designed to remove trash from the Great Lakes is the first project funded by the EPA’s Trash-Free Great Lakes Grant. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200617-kinnickinnic
The state of Michigan announced it was awarding grants to six school districts in Michigan to support place-based learning approaches that teach about the Great Lakes, Michigan watersheds and the impact people have on water resources across the state. Read the full story by Upper Michigan’s Source.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-great-lakes-dams
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) announced that it will start its investigation into whether Canada’s proposed ballast water regulations discriminate against U.S.-flag shipping vessels operating in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Read the full story by Freight Waves.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-great-lakes-dams
The Porcupine Mountains wilderness area in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula offers 100 miles of hiking trails, over 93 waterfalls and the one of the only remaining tracts of old growth forest between the Adirondacks and the Rocky Mountains. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200617-porkies
Several hundred wells in Michigan near the now-drained Wixom Lake are reportedly dry, leaving residents to rely on bottled water while officials investigate causes. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200617-wells
The company responsible for a dock collapse along the Detroit River is proposing a new seawall on the river to support large boats dropping off piles of gravel-like material at the site. The proposal was met with skepticism by environmental activists in Detroit. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200617-detroit-river
