A feud continues in Michigan between the cities of Detroit and Highland Park around water bills that Detroit says are unpaid. Highland Park leaders pointed to an old contract and says it has paid its fair share – and then some. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210303-water-bill
With all of the Great Lakes water levels below where they were at this time last year, the international body that helps regulate the Lake Ontario’s water levels is taking its foot off the gas a bit. Read the full story by WRVO – Albany, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210303-lake-ontario
It survived the Mataafa Storm of 1905. It sliced through the Great White Hurricane of 1913. But on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, it was fire that finally got the J. B. Ford, a 118-year-old freighter that until recently was the oldest active freighter on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210303-freighter
A new collaborative project is seeking to reduce phosphorus runoff into the Great Lakes basin. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-phosphorus-runoff
A new collaborative project is seeking to reduce phosphorus runoff into the Great Lakes basin. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-phosphorus-runoff
Two caviar producers accused in a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources sturgeon egg investigation could have their criminal charges dismissed. Read the full story by WBAY-TV – Fond Du Lac, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-caviar
Two caviar producers accused in a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources sturgeon egg investigation could have their criminal charges dismissed. Read the full story by WBAY-TV – Fond Du Lac, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-caviar
The company that owns the Morrow Dam has begun the process of removing sediment build up in the Kalamazoo River in west Michigan. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-dredging-project
The company that owns the Morrow Dam has begun the process of removing sediment build up in the Kalamazoo River in west Michigan. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-dredging-project
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, after ice and snow cover melt on Michigan lakes this early spring, it may be more likely for people to discover dead fish or other aquatic animals. Read the full story by the Patch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-fish-kills
The long-awaited restoration of the Grand Trunk Wetland in Milwaukee’s Harbor District is projected to begin this summer through a collaborative effort by the city of Milwaukee and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by the Bay View Compass.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-wetland-restoration
Members of the public are invited to join the Invasive Species Centre on Wednesday, March 3rd at 1pm Eastern for an online information session as part of the Ontario Invasive Species Forum. Read the full story by the Kingston Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-carp-online-event
“Under a White Sky” is a fascinating survey of novel attempts to manage natural systems of all sizes, from preserving tiny populations of desert fish to altering the entire atmosphere. Read the full story by the New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-natural-world
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is objecting to the transfer of a nuclear power plant and a spent waste storage site on Lake Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-nuclear-plant-transfer
The Marine Pollution Control company, founded in Detroit in 1967, was the first oil spill cleanup company in the Great Lakes and one of the very first in the nation. They have been responsible for oil spill clean ups across the Michigan and North America. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-oil-spill-cleanups
Flood risk on Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence River declined from moderate to low in recent months, according to the International Joint Commission. Read the full story by WHEC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-flood-risk
There have been a number of shipwrecks off the shores of Monroe County, Michigan over the centuries, but no one knows exactly how many or exactly where they lay in Lake Erie’s waters. Read the full story by the Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210302-shipwrecks
Firefighters twice released foam containing PFAS at Cherry Capital Airport in Michigan, and Traverse City will pay for the cleanup that followed. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-pfas-traverse-city-michigan
For the Biden administration, a strong focus on Lake Erie and the Great Lakes is one way to remind us that not every issue is strictly partisan and that environmental protection can lead to justice and equity, as Cleveland has shown the country. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-lake-erie-environmental-protection
The growing trail movement in Western New York is on the verge of growing some more – plans are afoot for a major expansion of the Niagara River Greenway Trail along the Lake Ontario shore. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-lake-ontario-trail
The sand clogging Cow Creek in Sarnia, Ontario, is not contaminated according to tested samples, so with dredging-permit approval from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, it can hopefully be dredged and moved back into Lake Huron to create beaches. Read to the full story by The Courier Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-ontario-dredge
Although it’s illegal in Minnesota, too many anglers still release their leftover bait into lakes and rivers. The frequency of this behavior is concerning as it carries the risk of introducing fish pathogens to popular fishing waters. Read the full story by West Central Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-bait-fish
Enbridge has offered lucrative deals in an attempt to win over the Ojibwe bands in Minnesota in support of a new pipeline to replace Line 3, despite increasing tensions those efforts have caused, as construction of the controversial pipeline enters its fourth month. Read the full story by Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-line-3-enbridge
As part of the DNR’s statewide PFAS-monitoring efforts to monitor fish tissue and water chemistry at select sites around the state, smelt were collected from two sites in Lake Superior in 2019 near the Apostle Islands and off Port Wing. PFAS was detected at both locations, prompting an advisory to limit meals of smelt to one per month. Read the full story by the Brainerd Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-pollution-fish-pfas
Drivers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and other wintry parts of the world have for decades used their cold-weather street smarts to put a frozen twist on NASCAR. When the temperatures drop enough, ice racing leagues pop up on frozen lakes in communities across the Midwest and beyond. Read to the full story by Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-lake-superior-ice-racing
New research finds the annual dead zone in Lake Erie is being amplified by naturally occurring nutrients at the bottom of the lake, which speed up the process of oxygen depletion. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-lake-erie-nutrient-pollution
The Wisconsin Sea Grant recently released its biennial report addressing the organization’s progress on its four pillars: healthy coastal ecosystems; sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; resilient communities and economies; and environmental literacy and workforce development. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210301-wisconsin-sea-grant
Minnesota officials announced a multi-step strategy to address PFAS contamination in the environment. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-pfas
With warmer weather in the forecast for the foreseeable future, the United States Coast Guard issued a warning on Thursday afternoon for the public to use caution when it comes to ice conditions on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-coast-guard
A new report shows one-third of all freshwater fish species globally are threatened by extinction, and the threat is just as serious in the Great Lakes as it is for the rest of the world. Read the full story by WOOD -TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-arctic-grayling
A new report by the Michigan Dam Safety Task Force says the state of Michigan has a lot to do to reduce the risk of future dam failures. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-michigan-dams
The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed an appeals court’s rejection of a critical air emissions permit for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine and sent the case back for further proceedings. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-copper-mine
Joliet, Illinois, is the latest city to give up on groundwater deep aquifers for their public water supply, voting last month to tap into Lake Michigan water provided by Chicago. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-joliet-water
The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority is seeking to complete a land survey for a Lake Huron shoreline hazard update in Ontario. Read the full story by the Shoreline Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-mvca-mapping
University of Windsor researchers have received a grant of more than $1 million to collect data and lay the groundwork for establishing an early-warning system to protect water treatment systems in Southwestern Ontario from harmful algal blooms. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-habs-funding
Waukegan’s $9 million renovation of its century-old water plant, which almost doubled its output capacity, was recently recognized as one of the top projects of 2020 by a multistate professional organization. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-water-plant
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will consider the Lake Erie Quadrangle for national marine sanctuary designation until Feb. 22, 2026, according to a news release issued Thursday. Read the full story by Lake Erie News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210226-erie-designation
Two guys decided to have a little fun on Lake Superior Wednesday. Video captured up the North Shore past Brighton Beach of two guys in their wet suits hopping from ice chunk to ice chunk. Read the full story by KQDS-TV- Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-superior-ice-chunks
Three Wisconsin roads have received new National Scenic Byway designations from the Federal Highway Administration, cementing them as some of the state’s best places for scenic drives. The Wisconsin Lake Superior Scenic Byway and Door County Coastal Byway have both been declared National Scenic Byways. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-wisconsin-routes
The National Park Service is proceeding with plans to rehabilitate seawalls at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial after determining the work will have no significant environmental impact. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-memorial-seawalls
Due to westerly winds and above-freezing temperatures, ice has been breaking away from Lake Michigan. On Monday, WGN’s tower camera on top of the Hancock Center captured ice floes breaking away from the shore. Read the full story by KXAN-TV- Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-ice-breaking
Historic Fishtown, one of northwest Lower Michigan’s scenic gems, is highlighted in a new video advertisement for Carhartt and Guinness. The two brands collaborated for a St. Patrick’s Day-themed piece that highlights hard work, a wintry northern Michigan vibe and St. Patrick’s Day. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-fishtown
Cleanup on the Kalamazoo River is about to begin after a repair project on the Morrow Dam allowed sediment to wash miles downstream. Survey crews were working along the river on Wednesday and the project could start as soon as this weekend. Read the full story by WOOD-TV- Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-river-sediment
Although several local, regional and Great Lakes-centric walleye plans exist, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has drafted the first statewide walleye plan focused on inland waters — and is asking the public’s help in finalizing it. Read the full story by the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-walleye-plan
Legislation to simplify seawall permitting during high water periods on the Great Lakes and codify the state’s authority to regulate beach structures set off conflicts between Republicans who are upset the bill no longer allow property owners to install erosion protections without getting a permit. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-thunder-bay
An old amusement park in Ohio will see new life as a public park and wetland as it is repurposed to help reduce algal blooms from Chippewa Lake, Ohio’s largest glacial lake. The project is supported by the H2Ohio initiative. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-ohio-amusement-park
American shipping companies operating the U.S. Great Lakes fleet will invest nearly $87 million at shipyards and facilities across the region this year, according to new figures released by the Lake Carriers’ Association. Annual maintenance work to the U.S. “laker” vessels allows ships that are 40 and 50 years old, or even older, to continue to sail the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-laker-upgrades
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency wants to change the rules on water quality to increase the agency’s flexibility in classifying water quality as degraded. The rule changes are supported by numerous industry groups but have been opposed by environmental and tribal stakeholders. Read the full story by MinnPost.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-mn-wq-rules
The Nature Conservancy began work on an ecosystem restoration project in Ohio. The 280-acre Sandhill Crane Wetlands project will restore a portion of the historic Irwin Wet Prairie, which played a role in naturally treating nutrient runoff into nearby streams which led to Lake Erie. Read the full story by WTOL-TV — Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-sandhill-crane-wetland
Canadian federal investments to upgrade water infrastructure in First Nation communities do not require that engineers consider and mitigate climate change-related risks, risking infrastructure failures during extreme weather that would limit indigenous communities’ access to safe drinking water. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-1st-nations-water
