A reoccurring environmental nightmare in Lake Erie can be fixed, but governments need the will to do it, says a Canadian Great Lakes researcher. Read the full story by Simcoe Reformer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-lake-erie
The state of New York is investing $14 million dollars in shoreline protection upgrades on the Olcott Harbor to rebuild and improve the shoreline structures that suffered heavy damage due to flooding in 2019. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-shoreline-ontario
Researchers at Michigan State University are enlisting the public’s help in studying water levels and erosion along the Great Lakes’ shorelines. Read the full story by WJRT-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-public-erosion
NOAA has released a nearly 200-page document for public comment that includes a draft management plan and environmental impact statement for the proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, which aims to protect and promote shipwrecks and other historically significant assets. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-ontario-marine-sanctuary
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assessment crews will be surveying for sea lamprey and applying lampricides in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this month. Read the full story by WLUC–TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-lamprey-michigan
A clash between elemental forces — sun, rain, heat and ice — is what is threatening to upend centuries of relative stability along the Great Lakes’ 10,000 miles of shoreline, including the 22 miles that define Chicago’s eastern edge. And the best explanation is climate change. Read full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-climate-change
Scientists first noticed an invasive population of zebra mussels in Michigan’s Gull Lake in the mid-1990s. Afterwards, unexpected harmful algal blooms started appearing. Now, a long-term research project at the lake has shown that the mussels led to an increase in a type of bacteria called Microcystis that produces the algae. Read full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-mussel-algae
Chicago’s indomitable piping plovers, Monty and Rose, have welcomed three chicks with a fourth still possibly on the way. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-piping-plovers
Shoreline cities and towns in the Great Lakes region will be spending heavily in coming years to fix public infrastructure damaged by recent flooding and erosion, with estimated costs approaching $2 billion, officials said Thursday. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210709-flooding
Farmers in 10 more northern Ohio counties will be eligible to receive financial incentives for using new agriculture practices that improve water quality in Lake Erie, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday. Read the full story by The Associate Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-erie-algae
A partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative will use federal funds to deal with erosion and high water levels along Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Holland Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-partnership
The Milwaukee Estuary is moving a step closer to clean water and space for recreation, thanks to partial approval of funding for a sediment containment facility. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-estuary
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 34 drownings were reported on the Great Lakes to date (July 4) — a 36% increase from last year when 25 people drowned in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WDIV –TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-drownings
Great Lakes’ waters are warming up. At least Lake Superior has warmed well past its normal temperatures. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-water-temperature
The National Museum of the Great Lakes opened in 2014, three years after the re-christening and after a long effort to bring it over from its original home in Vermilion, Ohio. Read the full story by Norwalk Reflector.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-museum
Coastal wind is a strong, consistent power source and Michigan’s more than 3,000 miles of coast could provide double the electricity residents used from all sources in 2019. Read the full story by the Hillsdale Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-offshore-wind
Water levels rose in June in three of the Great Lakes due in part to seasonal conditions and to the record rainfall parts of Michigan received last weekend. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-water-levels
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board recently announced the river and the Great Lakes have experienced drought conditions through the spring. And it’s expected to remain that way for the summer. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-erie-drought
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder is preparing to leave the Duluth-Superior port in Minnesota Wednesday after nearly two decades of service. Read the full story by WDIO – TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210707-alder-cutter
To prevent drownings, Milwaukee area non-profits have developed the beach ambassadors to educate beachgoers regarding water quality, the flag warning system and dangerous rip currents. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-beach-ambassadors
With heavy rain and flooding in certain areas over the past few days, officials are asking people to take precautions when heading out to the beach this holiday weekend. High rain and flooding can quickly cause the lake to load up with bacteria. The rain can also contribute to high water and wave levels, which can make it unsafe to swim or go boating. Read the full story by Erie News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-flooding
Port Milwaukee director Adam Tindall-Schlicht said the $31 million investment is the largest one-time investment into Port Milwaukee since the 1950s and going forward it will be instrumental to the port’s continued growth. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-milwaukee-port
A 425-mile paddling expedition is giving voice to the Great Lakes and the people who seek its protection. Three participants will paddle from the Mackinaw Bridge to Lansing to rally political forces on behalf of the lakes. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-paddling-journey
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy plans to test the soil from an abandoned rail bed near the former Velsicol Chemical Co. plant in St. Louis for hazardous chemicals. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-chemicals
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and two Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation are calling for state-led assessments of a recently designated marine sanctuary in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-marine-sanctuary
The EPA’s floating laboratory – Lake Guardian – was spotted upbound in St. Mary’s River North Channel. The Research Vessel Lake Guardian is the largest research vessel in the E.P.A. fleet and the largest research vessel operating on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-floating-lab
Six inches of rain battered the Detroit metro area last weekend, a deluge that overwhelmed the region’s drainage system. Hundreds of basements flooded, cars floated on freeways, and the usually-packed Interstate 94 looked more like a river than a roadway. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-flooding-detroit
The city of Waukesha, Wisconsin got official news Wednesday that it can pipe Lake Michigan water to residents, replacing their radium-tainted supply. Some still question whether Waukesha should be granted a diversion under the Great Lakes Compact. Read the full story by WUWM- Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-waukesha
The city of Waukesha, Wisconsin got official news Wednesday that it can pipe Lake Michigan water to residents, replacing their radium-tainted supply. Some still question whether Waukesha should be granted a diversion under the Great Lakes Compact. Read the full story by WUWM- Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-waukesha
The Lake Erie coast in Ohio is home to a piping plover family for the first time in 83 years. Four piping plover chicks hatched at Maumee Bay State Park in Ohio on Thursday, July 1. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-plover
The Lake Erie coast in Ohio is home to a piping plover family for the first time in 83 years. Four piping plover chicks hatched at Maumee Bay State Park in Ohio on Thursday, July 1. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210702-plover
Gov. Tony Evers announced on Monday, June 28, $1.41 million in coastal grants to 40 local communities across Wisconsin. Read the full story by WDJT – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-wisconsin-grants
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that more than $4 million in grant funding will be awarded to 23 communities throughout the state to boost recreational boating. Read the full story by WLUC – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-dnr
Four more “smart” buoys have been installed on Lake Erie to create a warning system for Lake Erie drinking water. Read the full story by WKYC – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-erie
Wisconsin’s crumbling Lake Michigan shoreline will receive some needed TLC from local 12 and 13-year-olds through a pilot program that will bring coastal engineering and stewardship ideas into classrooms this school year, and also bring classrooms to the beach. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-shoreline
Urban flooding continues to plague Chicago residents — particularly in its communities of color — and some experts say it is time for a fresh approach. Read the full story by Circle of Blue/Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-flooding
Urban flooding continues to plague Chicago residents — particularly in its communities of color — and some experts say it is time for a fresh approach. Read the full story by Circle of Blue/Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-flooding
The Ohio Department of Health said Tuesday it has removed the bacteria-driven swimming advisory that had been in place at Maumee Bay State Park’s Lake Erie beach since June 17, the longest stretch this year that such an advisory had been in effect. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-maumee
If Enbridge has its way, Line 3, which partly reroutes and replaces a decaying older pipeline, will bore under the Mississippi River twice as it flows north and then loops south from its source, Lake Itasca. Any leaks and spills could poison the Mississippi and more: Line 3 will cross 211 other rivers and streams, and threaten scores of lakes and wetlands in Minnesota’s choicest wild rice harvesting region, granted to Indian tribes by 19th century treaties. Read the full story by the Los Angeles Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-erosion
In the last year, erosion has pummeled Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline and the property edging it. It was, locals say, the worst erosion they’ve seen on the lake in decades. But it’s not unprecedented. In fact, it’s part of a natural cycle that has been happening on the lake for centuries. Read the full story by the Indianapolis Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-erosion
Despite searing heat and heavy showers at various times this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is sticking to its prediction that western Lake Erie’s Summer 2021 will be smaller than last year and relatively mild overall. . Read the full story by Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210630-bloom
Detroit mayor Mike Duggan is requesting federal assistance to assist the city with heavy damage from severe storms. In the past week, these severe storms hit Metro Detroit leaving home flooded and vehicles stranded on roadways. Read the full story by WDIV – TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-flooding-detroit
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said this week it will be conducting a full analysis on the potential environmental impacts of Canadian oil company Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 pipeline tunnel before deciding whether to issue permits for its construction. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-line-5
Sometime in the next week, four eggs belonging to piping plovers Nellie and Nish are expected to hatch at Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio. Nellie and Nish are the first pair to be seen nesting on Lake Erie in Ohio since the 1930s. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-piping-plovers-birds
Using stock from the Rainy River on the Minnesota-Ontario border, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources began stocking juvenile lake sturgeon in the Otter Tail River and other Red River tributaries in 1997 in an effort to reintroduce the species to the Red River Basin. Twelve years later, the first reproductively mature female sturgeon was discovered in the Red River Basin in 2019. Read the full story by The Bemidji Pioneer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-sturgeon-fish
National, state, and provincial parks around the Great Lakes are expecting a spike in visitation this summer as the United States and Canada continue to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-parks
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board has indicated that unless the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River basin receives “significant” rainfall, it appears that water levels have reached maximum for the season. Lake Ontario’s level is presently at 245.14 feet, more than a foot below its long-term average for this point in the year of 246.29 feet. Read the full story by Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-water-levels
Record-high water levels in Lake Ontario in 2017 and 2019 caused significant flooding and erosion along New York state’s Crescent Beach. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed repairs to a breakwater that was damaged during the high waters, and further efforts to mitigate future impacts from flooding include the development of a barrier bar beach to reduce wave energy that reaches the shoreline. Read the full story by Finger Lake Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-ontario-water-level
PFAS has been detected in the groundwater below the Oakland County International Airport in Waterford Township, Michigan. Thirteen of the 24 homes on well water north of the airport opted for their water to be tested by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and results for 11 homes showed detectable concentrations of one or more PFAS compounds. Read the full story by The Oakland Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210628-pfas
In 2016, severe storms in northern Wisconsin sparked a flood that’s linked to several deaths and caused more than $41 million in damage. Local, state and federal leaders recently marked efforts to restore one of the hardest hit areas during a grand opening celebration. They hope changes made at Iron County’s Saxon Harbor will prevent damage from more frequent, intense storms due to climate change. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210625-harbor
