Illinois and Chicago leaders announced the dispersal of $336 million to Chicago to aid efforts in removing lead service lines across the city. There are about 9 million lead service lines nationally, of which 400,000 are in Chicago. Read the full story by WGN-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-chicago-water
House Bill 5108, introduced in October, would overhaul Michigan’s outdated commercial fishing statute to add popular game fish such as walleye, lake trout and yellow perch to the state’s Great Lakes commercial fishing allowance. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-michigan-fishing
There’s a growing effort to reintroduce wild rice to the state of Michigan after years of damage caused by logging, development, and wildlife wiped out the plant in some parts of the state.
Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-michigan-manoomin
According to a new study, 71% of water samples drawn from 450 private wells across Wisconsin in 2022 were contaminated with PFAS chemicals. About 96% of the contaminated samples contained PFAS levels below limits that the EPA is considering adopting. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1 – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-wisconsin-pfas
A crumbling railroad grade abandoned nearly a century ago has been removed in a project aimed at protecting fish spawning habitat in Nebagamon Creek near Douglas, Wisconsin. The project rebuilt and naturalized 500 feet of Nebagamon Creek, the largest tributary to the Brule River, which is among the best spawning rivers for Lake Superior trout and salmon. Read the story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-brule-river
According to new research, Ohio birds flying over Lake Erie like to use islands to guide them on their route. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-lake-erie-birds
Now that Waukesha, Wisconsin, has fully transitioned to Lake Michigan as its water source, some local businesses are starting to see the benefits, including an aquarium shop that relies on large quantities of water. The business’ reverse osmosis filter should function longer with less hard water in the system. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1 – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-waukesha-business
Video footage shows frolicking river otters on the Milwaukee Riverwalk, which extends more than three miles along both sides of the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WITI-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-milwaukee-otters
Flint residents have spent years trying and failing to get the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce laws that could prevent communities of color from bearing the brunt of pollution. They had hope when President Joe Biden took office, but then nothing happened. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-epa-environmentalracism-flint
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reversing a Trump-era decision, is restarting a human health assessment of nitrate and nitrite, a move that has potentially far-reaching regulatory implications for one of the country’s most pervasive drinking water contaminants. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-epa-assessment-nitrate-drinkingwater
Michigan is close to having its first official state grain in manoomin, a naturally-occurring rice that holds special significance to the tribes and people of the Great Lakes region. Read the fully story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-michigan-manoomin-officialstategrain
Federal money will help accelerate habitat protection near Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula National Park, one of 10 parks prioritized in a new program announced last week. The area surrounding the park is renown for its diversity of native orchids and ferns and is considered one of the Great Lakes’ biodiversity hot spots. Read the full story by The Shoreline Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-nationalpark-federalfunds-greatlakes
Ever want to ride your horse along the Lake Michigan shoreline? The one-month long shoreline horseback riding season at Silver Lake State Park in Mears, Michigan is underway now. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-horsebackriding-lakemichigan
A piece of Coast Guard history now calls the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan, its home after the installation of a restored lifeboat last month. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-greatlakesshipwreckmuseum-lifeboat-exhibit
Ohio science students traveled to Stone Laboratory near Put-In-Bay, Ohio on Lake Erie recently to experience a hands-on approach to research and exploration. Read the full story by WKBN-TV – Youngstown, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-localstudents-lakeerie
On Monday, while running a survey for data collection off the shore of Lake Michigan, a University of Wisconsin student lost connection to her research boat. Now, she’s asking for the community’s help to find it. Read the full story by WISN-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-um-madison-research-boat-lakemichigan
This year’s 48th Anniversary Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Event will be virtual on Friday, November 10 at 7 p.m. Read the full story by WJMN-TV – Paradise, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-greatlakesshipwreck-edmondfitzgerald-anniversary
On Sunday the Union ended the strike that shut down a key North American trade route when it agreed to the tentative deal with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp covering engineering, maintenance and other worker groups in Ontario and Quebec provinces. Read the full story by Reuters.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-canada-unifor-union-stlawrenceseaway
To commemorate the 48th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Michigan Maritime Museum will be hosting a commemoration ceremony in South Haven, Michigan, later this month. The event will include the traditional ringing of the bell, a guest speaker, and a special display of materials from the museum’s collections. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-museum-commemoration
An estimated 300 dead birds were found along beaches at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-dead-birds
The latest phase of a $75-million plan to build a revamped and modern marina along the Mississauga shoreline in Ontario concluded on Oct. 31. Read the full story by Insauga.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-waterfront-transformation
$400 million will be given to municipalities across the state of Wisconsin to improve drinking water by replacing lead pipes in hopes of reducing and ultimately eliminating water contaminants. Read the full story by WTAQ – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-reduce-lead
A stormwater pond off the coast of Lake Michigan in Racine County, Wisconsin, is being redesigned to integrate a high-performing wetland mitigation bank that cleanses water before entering Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Racine County Eye.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-stormwater-project
A Ph.D. student from UW-Madison in Wisconsin lost important research on Lake Michigan coastal erosion and could use your help in finding the lost vessel which collects and stores the data. Read or watch the full story by WDJT-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-missing-vessel
Great Lake scientists have shown that eDNA can be a more important tool for conservation science than anyone suspected 13 years ago. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-edna-conservation
You can be part of a renewed effort to stop invaders in the Great Lakes region. Check your car, kayak or a nearby rail car – it might be providing free transportation for an invasive pest or plant. Read the full story by Michigan Farm News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-fight-invasives
In Ohio, officials from the city of Conneaut and state of Ohio plus various contractors celebrated the completion of work on the Conneaut Creek Dredge Reclamation Facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week. The facility helps to maintain the port of Conneaut on Lake Erie and reduce dumping of dredge material into the lake. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-dredge-facility
The journey to hold several officials accountable in court regarding the Flint water crisis in Michigan is over after a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231101-flint-water-crisis
A deal was reached Sunday between Unifor and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp to end a week-long strike that had shut down a major shipping artery in the Great Lakes, halting the flow of grain and other goods from the U.S. and Canada. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-strike-agreement
On October 11, 1923, the Cetus, a fully loaded bulk freighter, crashed into the Huronton, an empty bulk freighter, in Lake Superior about 20 miles northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. Over the summer, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society found the wreck of the Huronton for the first time. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-shipwreck-found
Associate Professor Drew Gronewold at the University of Michigan’s School of Environment and Sustainability is leading a new research center designed to strengthen climate change resilience in communities that span international boundaries and jurisdictions. The project is funded by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, with additional funding expected over the next five years. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-climate-research-center
In Midland, Michigan, the Midland Business Alliance’s Advisory Committee on Infrastructure is finishing its plans to utilize a $40 million state allocation for flood reduction infrastructure. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-flood-planning
The S.S. Keewatin, one of the world’s largest remaining Edwardian steamships, has arrived at its new home at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario, after sailing through the Great Lakes from Georgian Bay. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-steamship-relocation
A rare USCG Type TR Motor Lifeboat CG 36381, a 36-foot-long vessel, will soon be on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-lifeboat-display
In Sterling Heights, Michigan, the Sterling Heights Historical Commission unveiled the Holcombe Beach Historical Marker, which tells the story of the early Indigenous people in the Great Lakes region who made their home in the area surrounding the marker. Read the full story by the Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-historic-marker-unveiled
The WATERshed Program of Southeast Wisconsin has received more than $30,000 in grants to help Racine students learn about the value of living in a coastal community with freshwater resources, and to explore career paths in freshwater science and coastal engineering during the 2023-24 school year. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-education-funding
A judge in Suttons Bay, Michigan, ordered the owner of a barge best known for repeatedly sinking in Lake Michigan to either sell or relocate the barge out of Great Lakes waters by December 8th. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-barge-ruling
The Freshwater Summit in Traverse City, Michigan, was held for its 16th year last Friday to cast a wider net into freshwater research in northern Michigan. Many of the organizations taking part represent the continuing efforts on initiatives that impact the Great Lakes and Grand Traverse Bay regions. Read the full story by Up North Live.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-invasive-species-summit
A 4.5-mile stretch of Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac has sparked anger, lawsuits, and serious concerns about the threat it poses to the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WDIV – TV –Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-line5
On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local partners announced a new $100 million agreement to clean up nearly 875,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment under the Cuyahoga River, marking the first step toward removing the Gorge Metro Park dam in Ohio. Read the full story by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-gorge-dam
An autonomous quiet research vessel called Saildrone just set a new milestone with its return to port after 60 days on the Great Lakes. The fleet of these surface vessels has traveled 1 million nautical miles at sea. Read the full story by WPBN -TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-saildrone
On Wednesday morning, Michigan legislators joined environmental advocates to break down the details of a newly introduced “polluter pay” package intended to bolster the state of Michigan’s environmental cleanup standards. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-pollution-bill
Research is being performed on sea lamprey in Marquette Township, Michigan, to find out where the population is moving and how it can be controlled. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-lamprey
A cleanup project at a former industrial complex on the banks of the St. Louis River in Duluth, Minnesota, is almost finished. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-duluth-cleanup
In June, the Brushwood Center in Lake County, Illinois, released a report that looks at the unequal effects of climate change on local communities of differing racial backgrounds. Read the full story by WTTW – TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-climate-justice
Monroe County, New York has made important improvements to their sewer system to combat some of the effects of climate change and protect local waterways. Read the full story by WROC – TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-climate-resiliency
The Navy’s newest Littoral Combat Ship cannot make its way to the Atlantic Ocean after finding itself in the middle of a strike by St. Lawrence Seaway employees. Read the full story by USNI News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-marinette-strike
Residents of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation, on the north shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, are set to enjoy greatly improved access to clean water thanks to an expansion of water treatment services and water sourced from Lake Superior. Read the full story by Northern Ontario Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231027-superior-water
A major effort to restore nearly 200 acres of wetland habitat at Powderhorn Prairie and Marsh Nature Preserve on Chicago’s Southeast Side is now complete after more than three years of work. The $1.2 million restoration project aims to restore natural historic water levels in the area, alleviate flooding and improve wildlife habitat. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231025-wetlands-restoration-chicago-powderhornlake
Shipping on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River delivers an economic impact of more than $29.8 billion annually to Indiana’s economy and supports more than 158,000 jobs, according to new study. Read the full story by the News and Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231025-maritimeshipping-economy-indiana
