The 2025 Review of the International Joint Commission’s Report on the “Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes” was issued in draft form in July and is accepting public comments until August 31. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-ijc-report
The plan to reroute Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline around tribal land in northern Wisconsin will begin its hearing on August 12 to examine whether the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources followed state law when it approved key permits for the project last year. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-line5-hearing
The plan to reroute Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline around tribal land in northern Wisconsin will begin its hearing on August 12 to examine whether the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources followed state law when it approved key permits for the project last year. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-line5-hearing
As global aquaculture has grown to meet increasing demand for protein, a small but determined group of inland fish farmers in the Great Lakes region are working to build a more sustainable, local supply. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-inland-aquaculture
As global aquaculture has grown to meet increasing demand for protein, a small but determined group of inland fish farmers in the Great Lakes region are working to build a more sustainable, local supply. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-inland-aquaculture
An engineering design study will determine what can be done with the Waukegan River system in Illinois to enhance the area as it flows into Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-waukegan-ravines
Dozens gathered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan Day to celebrate progress and address challenges facing the lake, with speakers emphasizing the importance of a collective effort to combat global warming and protect water as a vital, interconnected resource. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-lake-michigan-day
A new car and passenger ferry traveled through the Soo Locks last week on the way to its new home on Christian Island on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. The ferry will be serving the Beausoleil First Nations community and can carry up to 150 passengers, more than 30 vehicles and cargo between the island and the nearby mainland. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-ferry
Several areas in Wisconsin continue to recover today from the weekend’s historic heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Storm damage shut down Cana Island, a Lake Michigan island known for its iconic lighthouse. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-lighthouse-storm
The commemorative swim meant to complete the interrupted voyage of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald through the Great Lakes might itself not get to finish the journey because the boat escorting the swimmers is facing engine failure. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-fitzgerald-swim
Four historic “tall ship” sailing vessels known as schooners are visiting Detroit this weekend, providing visitors a chance to see and feel how the world traveled two centuries ago, plus other places to visit more than a half dozen historic vessels from the age of sails to steam and diesel power. Read the full story by Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250811-historicships
A decades-in-the-making project that aimed to remove the Plainwell Dam and restore nearly a mile of the Kalamazoo River has wrapped up. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-kalamazoo-restoration
Federal regulators authorized owner Holtec International late last month to start loading fuel into the Palisades plant in Covert Township, Michigan, a milestone that doesn’t guarantee its restart but signals support for the project moving forward. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-michigan-nuclear-plant
Collaboration on sea lamprey control research at Hammond Bay Biological Station in Millersburg, Michigan, connects today’s work with early breakthroughs, bringing several fish populations back from the brink after facing near extinction due to sea lampreys. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-sealamprey
Eleven years after Toledo’s water crisis left more than 400,000 people without safe drinking water, officials, researchers and residents gathered on Lake Erie to take a closer look at the lake’s current health. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-erie-health
The Cheboygan Lock in Cheboygan, Michigan, is once again open to boaters following the completion of significant underwater repairs. Read the full story by WPBN – Cheboygan, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-cheboygan-lock
On September 21, for the first time in nearly 100 years, the Chicago River will host a sanctioned open water swim. Read the full story by WTTW – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-chicago-river-swim
On Wednesday, a judge ordered a preliminary injunction stopping the shipment of elevated radioactivity wastes to a landfill near Belleville, Michigan. The judge’s ruling weighed risks to Michigan’s groundwater, waterways, green spaces and environment. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-radioactive-waste
Hundreds, even thousands of dead fish are washing up along Lake Erie, catching beachgoers by surprise, but experts say there’s no need to panic. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-dead-erie-fish
Eleven Michigan teenagers from the Grand Rapids Triathlon Club successfully completed swimming in each of the Great Lakes in 24 hours, beginning in Lake Erie and ending in Lake Superior. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-great-lakes-swim
Three of the Great Lakes are below their long-term averages through July, according to recent data, but the lower lakes, Erie and Ontario, are showing higher water levels than average. Read the full story by The Daily Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250808-lake-levels
The Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, Michigan, will hold its final Lunch and Learn lecture of the summer next week by taking a look at the women who have played a role in Great Lakes history. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-michigan-maritime-museum-women-greatlakes-history
The sandy shorelines and fresh breezes offered by the beaches along the Great Lakes often have tourists flocking to these destinations in the summer. Check out these six travel options which span all five Great Lakes. Read the full story The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-blissful-beachy-getaway-greatlakes
A cyanobacteria bloom is expanding in western Lake Erie, covering an area of about 160 square miles from the shoreline of Monroe County, Michigan, to the shoreline of Ottawa County, Ohio. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-cyanobacteria-bloom-lakeerie
In honor of National Lighthouse Day, celebrated on Aug. 7, Michigan lighthouse keepers who “kept the beacon burning before modern technology guided the way” will have their stories told. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-michigan-national-lighthouse-day
Milwaukee’s famous abandoned boat, Deep Thought, has a new captain. The boat, which served as a temporary visitor attraction on Lake Michigan’s shoreline, sold for $2,525 on Aug. 5 after a less-than-stellar two-week bidding process, falling short of the county’s hoped-for $20,000. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-milwaukee-deepthought-sells-auction
Long a threat to southern Ontario lakes, climate change is allowing cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, to thrive in even the coldest of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-blue-green-algae-lakesuperior
The Great Lakes Surf Festival nonprofit says it wants to bring people together, and promote and educate guests on water sports, particularly on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-lake-michigan-muskegon-surf-festival
Conservation Halton officially launched the Lake Ontario Coastal Resilience Pilot Project last month. The pilot is backed by a $1.5 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Climate-Resilience Coastal Communities (CRCC) Program and is one of only three Great Lakes projects selected for funding. Read the full story by CJML – Milton, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-pilot-stengthen-lakeontario
Maritime history is sailing into Lake Michigan this week and inviting guests onboard to step into the past. The 80-foot schooner, When And If, and the 115-foot schooner, Liberty Clipper, will be docked Aug. 7-10 in Grand Haven, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-grand-haven-sailing
Cleveland-area beachgoers can enjoy the water at Edgewater, Villa Angela, and Huntington beaches Wednesday, with all reported to be in good condition for swimming. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-cleveland-area-lakefront-beaches-swimming
The south end of Lake Michigan is currently about one-half foot higher than the rest of the lake, due to a seiche that occurred early Thursday morning. Read the full story by MLive
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-seiche
Invasive quagga mussels are one of the greatest threats to fish in recent Great Lakes history, but experts say funding for research to keep them at bay is woefully inadequate. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-whitefish
Two Ohio state lawmakers want to ban any drilling for oil and gas under public state lands or the bed of Lake Erie. In early 2023, Ohio governor Mike DeWine signed a law clearing hurdles for drilling companies to obtain leases to extract resources from public lands and parks, although drilling under them has been legal since 2011. Read the full story by WOUB-TV – Athens, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-drilling-legislation
According to researchers, last month’s temporary hypoxic and anoxic conditions at the bottom of western Lake Erie, caused by rapid warming of the water column’s upper layers, will most likely kill off a lot of mayfly nymphs that would have emerged in 2026. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-mayfly-impacts
The SS Keewatin at the Great Lakes Museum in Kingston, Ontario, has been selected as the Museum Ship of the Year for 2025 by the Steamship Historical Society of America. The ship – the world’s oldest surviving Edwardian-era passenger steamship – received this honor for its distinguished accomplishments and significant contributions to preserving the historical importance of engine-powered vessels. Read the full story by OrilliaMatters.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-ship-honors
The 29th Biennial Trans Superior International Yacht Race officially started Saturday August 2 in Whitefish Bay, Michigan. It is the world’s longest known freshwater sailboat race at 350 miles across Lake Superior. Read the full story by SooToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-yacht-race
Nine volunteer Coastal Conservation Youth Corps spent time identifying and removing invasive plants and removing plastic waste and tires along the Lake Huron shoreline in Goderich, Ontario. Read the full story by CKNX News Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-shoreline-cleanup
While docked after studying algae blooms in lakes Erie and Superior, the crew of the Great Lakes research vessel Blue Heron noticed a black, tar-like substance oozing from the rudder shaft. Scientists at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Large Lakes Observatory were surprised to find that the material was teeming with life-forms, some of which were unknown microorganisms. The mysterious substance was informally named “ShipGoo001.” Read the full story by CNN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250804-goo
Ottawa County, Michigan, is experiencing a groundwater shortage as wells dry up amid moderate drought conditions. Despite the fact that Ottawa County is surrounded by lakes, rivers, and streams, its growing population relies heavily on wells for water. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-groundwater-shortage
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed a recreational angler reported finding a dying grass carp – a massive invasive fish – floating in Baie du Doré on Lake Huron on July 14. The DFO collected the fish and confirmed it was a triploid (sterile) female. Read the full story by InsideHalton.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-grass-carp-detection
This year’s Manure Expo, held at the fairgrounds in Fulton County, Ohio, showcased the high-tech transformation of manure management. New tools on display at the expo aim to solve the issue of nutrient runoff that contributes to harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie’s western basin. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-manure-tech
On late Tuesday night, a 1,000-foot tugboat, Presque Isle, was travelling along the southeast side of Neebish Island on the St. Marys River when it had maneuverability issues before dropping anchor to investigate the problem. According to public health officials, around 14-20 liters of hydraulic oil were spilled in the incident, though the oil sheen is no longer an issue. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-oil-spill
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released the 2024 fish stocking numbers for inland waterbodies and the Great Lakes. The Wisconsin DNR stocked more than 3 million fish in lakes Superior and Michigan, including more than 1,000 lake sturgeon. Read the full story by The Star News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-fish-stocking
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District will start a maintenance dredging project at Manistique Harbor in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as early as August 7. The $1.865 million project will remove 92,500 cubic yards of sediment and place it along the west breakwater beach area below the ordinary high-water mark. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-dredging-project
More than 70 volunteers joined Save the River’s Trash Free River Days Weekend to remove 1,501 pounds of trash from the Upper St. Lawrence River last week. The volunteers retrieved a variety of trash which would otherwise contribute to rising microplastic levels in the St. Lawrence River or be consumed by fish and birds. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-river-cleanup
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) completed more than 280 fisheries surveys across the state in 2024. Collecting key data on Michigan’s fisheries is critical for successful management of the state’s diverse fisheries, though critical fisheries management activities are at risk of reduction due to funding shortfalls, according to the Michigan DNR. Read the full story by the Iosco County News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-fisheries-surveys
A business in Sheboygan, Wisconsin’s “Malibu of the Midwest” is known for being the state’s first surf shop. People have been surfing on Lake Michigan since the early 1950s, and Sheboygan surfers began forming surf clubs by the ’60s, though the city did not have a surf shop until 1998. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-surfing-great-lakes
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shared a video of freshwater jellyfish at Presque Isle Bay in Lake Erie. The incredibly rare jellyfish is super hard to find, according to the DEP. Read the full story by KDKA-TV – Pittsburgh, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250801-freshwater-jellyfish
The Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe-Anishinaabe’s team of biologists are keeping Lake Superior’s waters clean — while sounding the alarm on harmful algal blooms and climate-driven water threats. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250730-clean-local-water
