If the Supreme Court rules for the Sacketts, swaths of the country’s wetlands could lose protections under the Clean Water Act. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-sackett-epa
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLR) will be reducing outflow through the Moses-Saunders dam this weekend to give boaters on Lake St. Lawrence an opportunity to remove their boats from the water. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-ijc-action
Meteorology students at SUNY Oswego are taking part in a multi-million-dollar project funded by the National Science Foundation to study lake effect lightning events east of Lake Ontario. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-oswego-study
Great Lakes steel production fell by 16,000 tons, while steel capacity utilization ticked up last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-steel-production
Despite being some of the sea’s most exotic creatures, jellyfish have become an increasingly common sight in the Great Lakes region, including near Brighton, Michigan. Read the full story by FOX 2- TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-jellyfish
The city of Flint, Michigan says it’s preparing for a return to using water from the Great Lakes Water Authority pipeline following a transmission main break that forced it to use its backup water source for more than seven weeks. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-flint-water
Michigan and seven other coastal states have signed an agreement to pay for a comprehensive federal study of the Great Lakes shoreline. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-coastal-study
The State of the Great Lakes report, issued by the United States and Canada in July, assessed the overall condition of Lake Erie as poor and unchanging. Jill Jedlicka, Executive Director for the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, believes that land use, development and individual decisions can change this trend for the better. Read the full story by WGRZ – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-erie-condition
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Metropolitan Sewerage District and Ducks Unlimited are leading a multi-year, multi-watershed effort to mitigate climate change in southeastern Wisconsin. The Reforestation & Wetland Restoration Program aims to plant six million trees and restore 4,000 acres worth of wetlands. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-restoration-wetland-forest
The Butler County agriculture conservation education site, established in 2019, provides an eight-acre plot to teach Ohio farmers different practices to make their soil healthier such as grassed waterways, pollinator plots and cover crops. Read the full story by WVXU – Cincinnati, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-farm-education
Scarborough, Ontario’s Rouge Beach has been closed for repairs three times in six years, and Parks Canada has started a “stabilization strategy” which could involve hardening parts of the shoreline around the mouth of the Rouge River. The strategy involves implementing measures to reduce erosion and stabilize and grow the beach through natural long shore deposition. Read the full story by Metroland Media Toronto.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-beach-stabilization
Near Cleveland, Ohio, Lake Erie’s water temperature is reading 64 degrees Fahrenheit which is slightly cooler than the normal 66 degrees Fahrenheit this time of year. The water temperature on the lake is closely watched by meteorologists as it is used as a guide to figure out if the lake will be able to produce lake effect clouds and precipitation. Read the full story by WKBN-TV – Youngstown, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-erie-temperature
The Great Lakes Water Authority announced Monday that a major water main — which distributes drinking water to several Metro Detroit communities — has resumed normal operations. A leak was detected in the water main’s 10-foot-diameter pipe on Aug. 13, causing the main to close for repairs since. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-main-repair
The behavior of Lake Superior’s fish can be affected by noise pollution, according to Allen Mensinger, a University of Minnesota marine biologist. Loud underwater noises mask other important sounds from fish, impairing their communication and the ability to avoid danger. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-superior-winters
State, local and federal dignitaries, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, gathered recently at the St. Lawrence Seaway Eisenhower Lock in Massena, New York to break ground for a new Seaway Visitors Center. Read the full story by NNY 360.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-seaway-visitorcenter
Inspired by the true story of Port Hope, a community along the shores of Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, “King of Hope” addresses to the looming issue of nuclear facility decommissioning, which will soon be a reality for the Great Lakes region, according to the book’s author Kim Conklin. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-novel-nuclearwaste
In 1905, a fierce storm on Lake Superior sank 29 ships, including the Madeira near Gold Rock. Researchers are now using 3D photogrammetry software to assemble images of the ship and create a 3D model of it. Read the full story by CBS Minnesota.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-ship-model
In May of 2022, an infrastructure project was completed modernizing Flint’s water plant and establishing a secondary connection to Lake Huron. The city of Flint is now entering its final phase of lead service line replacement. Read the full story by CBS Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-flint-replacement-leadserviceline
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently released the draft “New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda 2022-2030,” a multiyear action plan to guide restoration and conservation, and foster sustainable, resilient communities in New York’s Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Niagara Frontier Publications.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-dec-greatlakesactionagenda
The Canadian Coast Guard recently purchased a light icebreaker that will supplement its operations in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, and Atlantic regions. Today, it was officially announced that icebreaker has been named the CCGS Judy LaMarsh. Read the full story by PRNewswire.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-canadiancoastguard-icebreaker-judylamarsh
The effort to replenish the decimated lake sturgeon population in Lake Erie has shown early signs of success, but it will be decades before biologists know if they have accomplished their mission. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-lakesturgeon-stockingmaumeeriver
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers recently announced a new initiative called “100% Whitefish” that aims to use all of the fish. The group is looking to Iceland for guidance and as an example. That country, among others, has pioneered using all of the fish it catches in various products, greatly increasing the value of the catch while developing new products and markets. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-whitefish-expandingmarket
Plastic Free MKE encourages businesses to become “Lake Friendly” by making decisions that benefit the long-term health of Lake Michigan. Transfer Pizzeria in Milwaukee is one business making this commitment. The business has a landfill, a recycling stream and organic waste that turns into compost. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-plasticfreebusinesses-protectthegreatlakes
In the largest design and construction project of its kind currently underway in North America, crews are restoring the natural systems of the mouth of the Don River, where it empties into Lake Ontario. The river, in its current configuration, is being moved. Read the full story by Canadian Architect.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-recalibratinginfrastructure-ontario
Watersheds in Indiana deposited massive amounts of toxic chemicals into the Great Lakes region in 2020, according to a report released Tuesday by Environment America Research and Policy Center. The Little Calumet River is ranked sixth of the top 20 watersheds in the United States for releasing chemicals known to cause cancer and have negative reproductive effects, the report said. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-littlecalriver-harmfulchemicals
The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority promotes industrial, commercial and recreational opportunities on Erie’s bayfront. The authority, located at 1 Holland St., is also a landlord to both a shipbuilder and a shipping facility and is the entity that ensures public access to the bayfront. Read the full story by Go Erie.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-lakeerie-valuableproperty
On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville Michigan began construction on a new expansion. The multi-million dollar expansion is the result of a fundraising and donation campaign and is designed to increase class sizes and expand program choices at the school. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221003-greatlakesboatbuildingschool-expansion
The State of the Great Lakes Report by the U.S. and Canadian governments assessed that Lake Erie’s ecosystem health is poor, despite major improvements made to the waterbody over the decades. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-lake-erie
Three property owners with land along northwest Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a 2018 ruling by Indiana’s high court which declared that the shoreline is owned by the state for the public’s enjoyment. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-shoreline-ownership
Some Michigan lawmakers are outraged by a recent State Historic Preservation Review Board decision to move forward in the process of adding some lands near the Menominee River to the National Register of Historic Places. The Menominee Indian Tribe considers the lands, which span Michigan and Wisconsin across the Menominee River, culturally and historically significant. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-litter-historic-site
The nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes announced Thursday that, through its Adopt-a-Beach program, it has surpassed 500,000 pounds of litter removed from Great Lakes beaches and shorelines. Read the full story by WJSM – St. Joseph, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-litter-removal
A $15 million regional dredging project, part of New York’s $300 million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative for communities affected by high water levels along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, has been completed. Read the full story by The Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-dredging
The M/V Mark W. Barker, built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay for Ohio-based Interlake Steamship Company, reached the top 16 in preliminary voting in the seventh annual Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce-sponsored contest. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-freighter
A new study out of Michigan State University bolsters predictions that the warming from climate change will exacerbate pressures on monarch butterflies. But in the Midwest, monarch populations could stabilize or even grow. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-monarchs
The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, a Chicago-based organization representing the governors of the Great Lakes states and the Canadian premiers of Ontario and Québec, on Thursday launched its “100% Whitefish” initiative that promotes using 100% of a whitefish for different purposes and beyond just food. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-whitefish
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is suing an out-of-state company for PFAS contamination left behind in West Michigan, claiming hazardous substances were found in the soil and groundwater. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-pfas
As the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) retires a century-old power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan shuts down, some residents and activists are warning the region’s water supply could be at risk. Advocates say the coal ash NIPSCO plans to leave on the site puts groundwater and Lake Michigan in danger of contamination in Michigan City and beyond. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-contamination-risk
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has announced plans to stop the spread of invasive carp in the Great Lakes with an engineered channel in the Brandon Road Lock. A series of high-tech barriers will prevent invasive carp from travelling upstream to Lake Michigan while still allowing boats to pass through. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-invasivecarp-plan
Indigenous leaders in North America, environmental and geographical experts, and volunteers are collaborating on the Biinaagami Project, a planned three-year initiative to engage Canadians and Americans in stewardship of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-stewardship-project
The Great Lakes Water Authority announced that a repaired water transmission main that services several Metro Detroit communities is now expected to resume normal operations in early October, weeks after its expected resumption, after a leak closed the main in mid-August. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-watermain-delay
This Thursday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is hosting a virtual public hearing on a push to restore the Grand River’s rapids in downtown Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids Whitewater and the city of Grand Rapids are seeking a permit to remove four low-head dams and replace them with rocks and boulders. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-restoration-publichearing
In Minnesota, Brighton Beach’s construction plan is an estimated $3.5 million dollars. However, Duluth’s Park and Recreation department are finding ways to reduce costs and be more sustainable, such as by reusing Brighton Beach’s current rocks and gravel. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-construction-sustainability
Eddie Olschansky, founder of Trash Fish Cleveland, organizes volunteers to clean up trash from waterways leading to Lake Erie. Olschansky aims to educate and encourage his community and hopes to give his volunteers a new perspective on plastic pollution. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-erie-cleanup
The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, launched in 2020 by Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region, is focused both on cleanup technology and raising awareness of the plastic waste problem. Devices like the BeBot, a $55,000 beach-sifting robot that collects the waste buried in a defined area, aim to spark people’s curiosity and get them concerned about the issue. Read the full story by Axios.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-cleanup-technology
This year marks the 50th anniversary of both the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Great Lakes Public Forum. One topic of discussion at this year’s forum is how the Great Lakes are impacted by climate change and ongoing work to understand how they could be further impaired in the future. Read the full story by The Pointer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-forum-climate
A new film, “Against the Current 2: Keeping Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes” is documenting efforts to prevent invasive carp species from entering the Great Lakes. The film is a sequel to 2020’s “Against the Current,” which detailed work on the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project near Chicago. Read the full story by Finger Lakes 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-invasivecarp-film
The Great Lakes region sits at the intersection of two migratory super-highways, the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways, where more than 380 bird species fly through the region each fall. The Bird Migration Explorer, a new interactive map from the National Audubon Society, lets bird watchers track the journeys that globe-trotting birds make each year. Read the full story by Fond du Lac Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-bird-mapping
Momentum continues to build in the Green Bay area for the National Estuarine Research Reserve, a federal designation to help protect and study coastal wetlands and natural estuaries. Land set aside for the reserve is designated through a six-step process that usually takes about four to six years to finish. Read the full story by Press Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220926-national-reserve
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States, which is happening without the prime minister or the president planning to come together as Richard Nixon and Pierre Trudeau did in 1972. Water communities, led by Indigenous leaders are coming together to renew our commitments and celebrate the Great Lakes, but will our leaders be listening? Read the full story by Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220926-glwqa
A dugout canoe used by indigenous people 3,000 years ago recently recovered from Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota is the oldest canoe ever found in the Great Lakes region. The canoe, which was carved from a single piece of white oak and is 14.5 feet long, was discovered near where a 1,200-year-old fully intact canoe was found last November. Read the full story by CNN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220926-canoe
