From the Porcupine Mountains to Lime Island and Harrisville to Tawas and Van Buren state parks, the record or near-record Great Lakes water levels have impacted Michigan forcing the closure of numerous facilities including more than 20 boating access sites. Read the full story by Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200818-high-water-michigan
The effect of climate change can be observed across Wisconsin’s farming landscape with more intense spring rains and resulting mud are keeping farmers from the field. Read the full story by Clayton News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200818-climate-agriculture
Engineers and biologists with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Lake County Forest Preserve District are building an artificial reef in Lake Michigan near the Illinois shoreline. The reef is designed to restore biodiversity to Lake Michigan by providing habitat for fish, salamanders, and waterfowl. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-eagle-v-egle
A decade since scientists first discovered PFAS contamination at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan, Air Force officials say they will not commit to meeting the state’s tougher cleanup standards, frustrating local residents whose water is contaminated. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-oscoda
Michigan’s beaches, campgrounds, and parks are seeing record numbers of visitors this summer as COVID-19 concerns draw more people outdoors to socially distanced activities. Record crowds have strained park officials and resources as they face more littering and habitat disturbance from parkgoers. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-park-litter
Scientists are trying to understand and limit the spread of invasive grass carp in order to prevent a large-scale established population of the fish in Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-grass-carp
A recent study by the First Street Foundation shows that more than 113,000 homes and businesses in Indiana are more vulnerable to flooding than federal maps suggest. Read the full story by Indianapolis Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-flooding
Fisheries biologists are searching for answers as to why the remains of dead adult lake sturgeon – a threatened species in Michigan – have washed up on shores near Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore. Scientists suspect botulism as the cause but are having difficulty proving it. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-sturgeon
A newly constructed segment of the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline began operation under the Saint Clair River between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-enbridge
An oil spill from the Line 5 pipeline in the Great Lakes could destroy local economies and small businesses that rely on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-line5
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said Friday it had denied Macomb County’s application to convert state waters into an open-air sewage treatment lagoon. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200817-macomb
The U.S. Coast Guard warned boaters in Buffalo, New York, to avoid a stretch of the Buffalo River that had been contaminated by an oil spill. Read the full story by WYRK – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-eagle-v-egle
In a victory for nature and setback for machines, a bald eagle attacked an unsuspecting drone that was flying to survey shoreline erosion along Lake Michigan. The drone’s operators, Michigan EGLE, were unable to recover the drone and are considering ways to avoid further drone casualties. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-eagle-v-egle
Four Michigan tribes have been granted permission to participate in a regulatory case involving plans to tunnel the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. The ruling gives the tribes a new opportunity to formally assert their treaty rights. Read the full story by MiBiz.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-tribal-rights-line-5
The state of New York announced $17 million in grants for businesses along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to make repairs and preventative upgrades to make their properties less vulnerable to flooding. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-ny-grants
Michigan officials are investigating a fish kill on the middle branch of the Escanaba River in the Upper Peninsula. The fish kill occurred downstream of a paper mill that recently reported a pipeline rupture at its wastewater treatment plant. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-fish-kill
Land-use change and rising lake-levels have accelerated erosion of beaches along North Shore communities in Illinois, forcing communities to seek new solutions to restore eroding coastline. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202008134-northshore-erosion
The Environmental Law & Policy Center accused steelmaker ArcelorMittal of continuing to violate the Clean Water Act at its northwestern Indiana facility by releasing excess ammonia into the Burns Waterway. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-elpc-ArcelorMittal
The Environmental Protection Agency announced it has awarded a $137 million low-interest loan to the city of Waukesha’s Lake Michigan water pipeline construction project. The loan will help offset the financial burden of pipeline construction to ratepayers. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-waukesha
Although not the catch they expected, a pair of Ontario anglers fished a struggling moose out of Lake Superior and helped it return safely back to land. Read the full story by UPI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-moose-fishing
A replica of an 18th century wooden boat left Buffalo, New York, on Thursday and is expected to reach Duluth, Minnesota, sometime in September. The ship originated in Petrozavodsk, Russia, Duluth’s sister city. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-from-russia-with-love
Six swimmers completed a 60-mile relay swim across Lake Michigan in under 21 hours this week. The swimmers collaborated with the non-profit FLOW (For Love Of Water) to raise money and awareness for Great Lakes preservation. Read the full story by WPBN/WGTU-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-epa-waukesha
Renovations on a road damaged by shoreline erosion on the Old Mission Peninsula in Michigan are delayed due to lack of funding. The Grand Traverse County Road Commission is hoping that water levels will soon recede, making the damages easier to fix. Read the full story by WPBN/WGTU-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200814-bluff-road
The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) has entered into a partnership with Grand Circus, a tech-focused learning institution with campuses in Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan. Read the full story by Rapid Growth Media
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-glos
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday a $137 million loan to the City of Waukesha, Wisconsin to help implement the Great Lakes Water Supply Project. Read the full story by WITI -TV -Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-epa-waukesha
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has agreed to examine allegations that it violated the civil rights of people living near a hazardous waste processing plant on Detroit’s east side. Read the full story by the Detroit Metro Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-environmental-investigation
Michigan’s 10-cent deposit law on beer, pop and other bottles and cans, enacted in 1976, has been wildly successful in getting those receptacles recycled, though the state still lags in overall recycling. But those involved in making, distributing and collecting those bottles and cans say the law needs revamping. Read and view the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-bottle-deposits
Windsor resident Ian Parish, 39, has some advice to share after completing a 280-kilometre solo trip on Lake Erie last month. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-kayaker
Farm groups are suing the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to stop the state from changing the rules for spreading manure. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-manure-dispute
Environmental regulators in Wisconsin voted Wednesday to table rules setting new restrictions on firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-wisconsin-pfas
The Nature Conservancy estimates, under the Trump administration’s new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, 55 percent of remaining wetlands in Wisconsin will lose federal protection. Read and listen to the full story by WXPR- Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-wisconsin-wetlands
An administrative law judge granted Bay Mills Indian Community the right to intervene in the ongoing pipeline fight uniting Tribes, environmental groups and community members against oil giant Enbridge. The decision will allow Bay Mills to be a party in the contested case process evaluating Enbridge’s Michigan Public Service Commission’s permit application. Read the full story by Earth Justice.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-enbridge-pipeline
Researchers from the Lake Erie Center have been analyzing this year’s algal bloom for the past few weeks, which has been rated a 5 out of 10 for severity. Read and view the full story by WNWO -TV-Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-erie-algal-bloom
Crews have completed the first phase of a new “resiliency” project at Fair Haven Beach State Park in Cayuga County, New York on Lake Ontario. Read the full story by The Central New York Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-resiliency-project
A marine and construction design company owned by artist Pepsy Kettavong, Novat Shoreline LLC, has designed the Smart BreakWall Diversion System to prevent property destruction caused by shoreline erosion from high waves along major bodies of water. Read the full story by the Rochester Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200813-shoreline-protection
During Scott Pruitt’s brief stint as the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, his bizarre behavior was considered almost comical. With Pruitt gone, and Andrew Wheeler in his place, nobody is laughing about anything that has to do with the EPA anymore or the environmental rollbacks the Trump administration has put into place. Read the full story by Downtown News Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-rollbacks
An eco-explorer recently added a kayak trip across Lake Ontario to his long list of adventures. The Toronto-native began the 355-kilometre journey in Hamilton, Ontario, and eventually made it to the Thousand Islands region 20 days later — all while raising money for charity. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-kayak-ontario
In Wisconsin, Racine’s Department of Park, Recreation and Cultural Services announced on Tuesday that the path between the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Racine Zoo is officially closed due to erosion. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-pathway
Read an unabridged interview with the assistant fisheries chief for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, who specializes in invasives. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-invasives
In Ontario, crews and excavators in Bright’s Grove have rumbled back into action to continue the battle for Sarnia-Lambton’s shoreline. The erosion is due to Lake Huron reaching record heights this year. Read the full story by The Sarnia Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-shoreline
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced that an independent forensic investigation team will look into what caused the Michigan’s Edenville and Sanford dams to fail. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-dams
Great Lakes steel output ticked up last week after U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal brought more blast furnaces that had been sidelined during the coronavirus pandemic back online. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-furnaces
After decades of cleanup and millions and millions of dollars spent, the Lower Menominee River is no longer one of the most polluted spots on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WLUK-TV-Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-menominee
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency are seeking public comments for the proposed removal of a “beneficial use impairment” that restricts navigational dredging activities within the Ashtabula River Area of Concern. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-AOC
Microplastics have been found in the Great Lakes on shorelines and in surface water and lake floor sediments. Ongoing research finds that laundry microfibres are a major source of microplastics found in freshwater. Read the full story by the Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200812-plastic-pollution
Enbridge has said it won’t seek to condemn private property for the proposed pipeline relocation around Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation because it’s reached agreements with approximately 300 landowners. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200811-enbridge-line5-wisconsin
New findings from an Indiana state-wide survey conducted by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute indicate that racial disparity extends to how Hoosiers perceive climate change and its risks. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200811-climate-perception
An Indiana steelmaker is still violating its wastewater permits by discharging an excess amount of ammonia as recently as July, according to an analysis by Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center. Read the full story by Post-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200811-ammonia-steel-pollution
Proponents of the launch site advocate for the projected economic development; those against the proposed launch site emphasize the impact to the sensitive shoreline and cite potential pollution to The Great Lakes. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200811-rockets-michigan-pollution
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency documents how the Rainy River has been transformed, with water quality now defined as “good to excellent,” providing clean drinking water, and a world-class walleye and sturgeon fishery. Read and listen to the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200811-rainy-river-minnesota-pollution
