The Michigan city of Flint has completed construction of a secondary water pipeline to be used in case there is an emergency disruption to the primary water delivery system. Read the full story by WEYI–TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210816-flint-water
Water level gains this summer have been less than average. Lakes Michigan and Huron reached its monthly peak this year in January, which has only happened three other times in recorded history dating back to 1918. Read the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210816-algae
The Mid-Michigan District Health Department has been notified by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, that an algal bloom on the lake at Paul Hubscher County Park in Sumner, MI has tested positive for algal toxin microcystin. Read the full story by The Morning Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210816-algae
The Adopt-a-Forest program is volunteer-driven and implemented by Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources to help people engage with the outdoors and encourage them to keep public lands clean. The program conducts outreach to find volunteers and then connects them with a site in need of a cleanup. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210816-forest-clean-up
Hundreds got in the water north of the bridge Sunday, floating down the St. Clair River for the annual unsanctioned event. Within a couple of hours Sunday afternoon, groups began to get out of the water at the Float Down’s last stopping point in Marysville, with spectators watching from the shore as the seven-mile journey came to an end. Read the full story by the Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210816-port-huron
August is National Water Quality Month, a month dedicated to bringing awareness to the fact that access to clean water is a human right we all share. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-paper-mill
Michigan health officials are studying the frequency of certain respiratory conditions among residents living near an expanding paperboard factory in Kalamazoo that’s under scrutiny for allowing odorous chemicals to escape from its wastewater infrastructure. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-paper-mill
Conservation and Chatham-Kent officials have received numerous calls from residents concerned about spreading brown algae on the Thames River that looks similar to a fuel spill. Early indications suggest this algae is probably not of any concern in terms of toxin production. Read the full story by The Chatham Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-brown-algae
Michigan on Wednesday blacklisted a chemical distributor that’s been blamed for nearly contaminating a Metro Detroit community’s drinking water with sulfuric acid. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-chemicals
Michigan on Wednesday blacklisted a chemical distributor that’s been blamed for nearly contaminating a Metro Detroit community’s drinking water with sulfuric acid. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-chemicals
In addition to the beautiful sandstone cliffs, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers views of Lake Superior, massive sand dunes, stunning beaches, and elegant waterfalls. Learn more about all that this park has to offer. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-pictured-rocks
In addition to the beautiful sandstone cliffs, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers views of Lake Superior, massive sand dunes, stunning beaches, and elegant waterfalls. Learn more about all that this park has to offer. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-pictured-rocks
The City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Friday, Aug. 13, a session two members have called for to discuss Flint’s pending connection to the Genesee County water system and plans to blend that water with the city’s primary supplier, the Great Lakes Water Authority. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-flint
At least 36 known shipwrecks off the eastern coast of Wisconsin will get more protection since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration established a sanctuary there in late June. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-shipwrecks
Water levels in the Great Lakes have decreased from record heights in 2019 and 2020, although they still remain above their average levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated in its weekly forecast. Read the full story by the Holland Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-water-levels
Freshwater turtles have become less abundant in coastal areas of Greater Toronto that have significantly decreased wetlands. Read the story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-wetlands
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle. Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210813-senate
The Duluth Seaway Port Authority and its terminal operations on Rice’s Point earned high marks in the recently released Green Marine 2020 environmental performance report, improving from a 3.8 rating in 2019 to a 4.0 score on Green Marine’s five-point scale. The annual report rates port authority participants in seven categories: air emissions, community impacts, dry bulk handling and storage, environmental leadership, spill prevention, underwater noise, and waste management. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-duluth-port
A new instance of the invasive plant European frogbit was discovered by the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Initial monitoring efforts found the plant has spread to numerous marshes and tributaries of the bay of Green Bay, WI that are connected by drainage ditches. Read the full story by Green Bay Press Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-invasive-species
This year, two pairs of piping plovers have decided to settle around Sandy Pond, which is a sand-filled inlet in Sandy Creek in New York state. As an endangered species their presence has stalled local sand dredging a necessity for boats to go in and out of the inlet, sparking debate as Lake Ontario is seeing low water levels this year. Read the full story by NPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-piping-plover
The Senate has just voted on a landmark bipartisan infrastructure bill, which includes tens of billions of dollars for climate, energy, and environmental programs, including Great Lakes restoration. It also includes infrastructure programs that invest in a national clean energy grid and natural climate solutions providing critical co-benefits like cleaner air and water. Read the full story by Audubon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-infrastructure
The annual harmful algal bloom has arrived in western Lake Erie. What scientists are seeing so far is consistent with the late June forecast that the bloom will be small this year and categorized as a 3 in severity, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 the largest. Read the full story by The Courier.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-algae-habs
Weiming Li, a professor with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife within the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, studies sea lamprey chemical mating signals called pheromones in an effort to disrupt mating and help manage their populations. Read the full story by Phys.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-lamprey-invasive
Even with a return to wetter conditions in late June and July, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Detroit District officials expect Great Lakes water levels to remain below 2019 and 2020 levels. Read the full story by WLUC–TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-lake-levels
Ducklings struggling to stay afloat in Lake Ontario’s Toronto harbor now have a safe place to rest with the installation of low, floating plywood docks. PortsToronto installed duckling docks at water level in four shipping areas in June to help waterfowl unable to climb out of the water to rest. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-harbor-ducks
With one of the crew members on the S.S. Badger having tested positive for COVID-19 and three more in quarantine, the Lake Michigan Carferry temporarily suspended the ship’s service. Read the full story by WOOD-TV Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-shipping
Isle Royale National Park is partnering with the Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area to offer free boat washes at marinas and boat launches in several Michigan counties to encourage recreational watercraft users to clean, drain, and dry watercraft to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, particularly zebra mussels, in Lake Superior waters. Read the full story by The Daily Mining Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210811-boating
Freshwater turtles have become less abundant in coastal areas of Greater Toronto, Ontario, as wetlands have significantly decreased. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-freshwater-turtles
Water chestnut, an invasive aquatic plant, has spread for miles on the Oswegatchie River in New York. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-water-chestnuts
A labeling mishap almost led to sulfuric acid entering the drinking water supply of 14,000 residents in southern Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-sulfuric-acid
No swimming signs were up at Edgewater Beach in Cleveland, Ohio, after the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District posted a public advisory due to approximately 285,000 gallons of combined sewage that flowed into Lake Erie over the weekend. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-sewage
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is considering a proposal to ban swimming at state beaches under certain circumstances. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-limit-swimming
A big boost in spending seems to be on the way for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that has helped Great Lake’s communities. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-funding-boost
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recently advised people living near or visiting Michigan waters in the summer or fall to be aware of the potential for harmful algal blooms. Read the full story by C&G Newspapers.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-spot-toxins
State of Michigan officials say potentially harmful green-blue algae blooms have been found in Swan Lake in Cheshire Township. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-algae-bloom
A Member of Parliament from Windsor, Ontario, has called on the Canadian federal government to honor its commitment to Great Lakes funding. Read the full story by Blackburn News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-funding
There are museums, books, and even songs about shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, but there are also more than 100 airplanes that sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-sunken-aircraft
Ohio’s Ottawa County Regional Water Treatment Plant has started detecting toxic microcystins for the first time this year in its Lake Erie raw water intake. Read the full story by Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-algae-hab
The Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, hosted virtual information sessions for anglers, commercial fishermen, boaters and cottagers concerned about the looming threat from invasive grass carp, and asked people to report sightings of the fish to the Invasive Species Hotline. Read the full story by SooToday.com
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-carp
When you visit the Great Lakes, whether it’s a sandy beach or a rocky coastline, it’s hard to imagine how lakes so big are affected so profoundly by alien invasive species, pollution, or climate change. Listen to the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-great-lakes-peril
Two sailing drones are on the Great Lakes right now on a mission to collect data, scanning for fish and meteorological data. Read the full story by WGTU-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-drone-shipping
The U.S. Air Force plans to install a pollution cleanup system at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan to prevent PFAS chemicals from entering Van Etten Lake. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-pfas-pollution
The vessel Captain Henry Jackman set a new record cargo size for grain loaded at Ontario’s Port of Thunder Bay on the ship’s very first voyage, carrying Canadian Western Red Spring Wheat grown in southwestern Manitoba destined for international markets. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-shipping
Running buffalo clover, a native plant that had been considered extinct, is being removed from the federal endangered species list after bouncing back in a half-dozen states east of the Mississippi River. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-endangered-species
Since the summer began, partiers in Toronto, Ontario, have been breaking into a conservation area in Tommy Thompson Park to host all-night raves, leaving garbage and human waste behind, says a conservation group called Friends of The Spit. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-habitat
The Volunteer Shoreline Harmful Algae Bloom Monitoring Program for New York’s Canandaigua Lake identified early intermittent algal blooms through June and July. Read the full story by MPNnow.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-algae
The Great Lakes are Michigan’s most precious resource, but plastic pollution and PFAS chemicals in our waterways are actively harming the state’s wildlife and residents. Read and hear the full story by WDET -Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-plastic-pollution
The piping plovers of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore had their best-ever breeding season since plover recovery work began at the park, according to officials. Read the full story by Coastal News Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-piping-plovers
This summer, a slew of scientists are converging to try to figure out why toxic algae is appearing in Lake Superior and to learn whether science can help control what, so far, has only been an occasional nuisance. Read and hear the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-algae-research
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $7 million of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative money to the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District so it can perform improvements on the main stem of West Creek that will boost the Cuyahoga River’s water quality. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-cuyahoga-funding
