A sheen of diesel fuel spilled from the freighter Manitowoc has dissipated north of Manistee, Michigan after a storm. The Manitowoc is headed to Muskegon for repairs while the cause of the spill remains under investigation. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-spill-cleanup
Waukesha, Wisconsin, will begin using Lake Michigan water for public supply once construction crews finish building a pumping station and two reservoirs. To tap into Lake Michigan for water, Waukesha had to reach a special agreement with Milwaukee and get the okay from the Great Lakes States and Provinces under the Great Lakes Compact. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-waukesha-water-supply
The North Shores of Saugatuck, Michigan, wants to build 50 homes and a marina basin along the Kalamazoo River, but the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance argues the development would remove 250,000 tons of sand from one of the state’s critical dune areas. The coming weeks could mark a crucial point in the 17-year long battle over this proposed development. Read the full story by WVGR – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-development-issue
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has raised $15 million of its $20 million goal to build the most technologically advanced freshwater research vessel in the United States. When built, the Maggi Sue, named by an anonymous donor, will further advance scientists’ understanding of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-research-vessel
According to a new study, Lake St. Clair and its coastal zones in Macomb County, Michigan, brings a $1.6 billion economic impact and more than 18,000 jobs to the county and region. In the next few months, the Macomb County Chamber is forming a task force to support the study and further boost the economy around the lake. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-economic-study
No cause has been determined yet for a massive fish kill stretching several kilometers up the Ausable River to the shores of Lake Huron, centered in Port Franks, Ontario. Everything from water temperature to run-off could be to blame. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-fish-kill
Marine Pollution Control (MPC), an oil spill removal organization based in Detroit, recently held a simulated oil spill exercise at a Lake Huron harbor in Rogers City, Michigan. MPC’s training exercises aim to use tactics in a manner that addresses the trajectory and fate of any oil release in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WKAR – East Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-oil-spill-preparation
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continues to help enhance fish populations in Lakes Michigan and Superior. Stocking efforts will continue throughout the year, including stocking 50,000 brook trout, 44,468 brown trout and 258,228 coho salmon into the Great Lakes, to ensure the 2023 stocking quotas are fulfilled. Read the full story by the Lake Geneva News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-fish-stocking
According to the International Lake Superior Board of Control, Lake Superior’s average water level at the beginning of August is above the seasonal long-term average and the level of a year ago. Meanwhile, Lake Michigan-Huron is above the seasonal long-term average, yet below the level of a year ago. Read the full story by SooToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-lake-levels
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District announced the start of $1.25 million dredging operations at two Lake Michigan harbors in Ludington and Pentwater, Michigan, to keep the federal navigation system safe and open for commercial and recreational traffic. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230807-dredging-projects
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one step closer to creating a new wetland ecosystem in Buffalo’s Outer Harbor. Construction on a stone breakwater in the abandoned shipping slip adjacent to Wilkeson Pointe is scheduled to begin in the fall and should be completed by November, the Corps announced last week. The new wetland will help reverse nearly a century of environmental degradation. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-buffalooutharbor-10years-revival
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday signed Michigan’s $57.4 billion general government budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which included funding for clean energy, conservation and environmental justice. Nearly $600 million is budgeted for Michigan’s water infrastructure, protecting access to drinking water, replacing lead service lines, rebuilding sewers, and more. Read the full story by the Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-michigan-newbudget-greatlakes
Lake Superior is known for its cool, blue beauty, but the largest freshwater lake in the world (by surface area) has a new antagonist: blue-green algae. The most recent bloom confirmed in the Thunder Bay (Ontario) District was reported on Lake Superior at Shuniah’s Birch Beach on July 28. Blue-green algae blooms aren’t common on Lake Superior, but experts say warming temperatures may make them more frequent. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-bluegreenalgae-lakesuperior-climatechange
Roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel is believed to have spilled into Lake Michigan through a hull breach on a stricken freighter. Absorbent boom was placed around the bulk freighter Manitowoc following the spill, which began about 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 2 while the ship was leaving Manistee. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-hullbreach-disesalfuel-lakemichigan
As the largest island in Lake Michigan, Beaver Island is a key stopover spot for migratory birds, as well as ideal habitat for resident nesting species. The island is home to a designated birding trail that took flight a decade ago, where enthusiasts annually host a special birding conference with guided field trips. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-beaverisland-greatlakes-birdwatching
Lampricides will be applied to the Big Manistee River in Manistee County this month in efforts to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom. The applications will be conducted between Aug. 15 and 24 by personnel from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-sealampreycontrol-lake-mi-tributaries
Michigan is the land of 11,000 lakes and 36,000 miles of streams. We are the Great Lakes State, but Michigan is also the land of 1.3 million septic systems – and the only state in the union with no uniform code to regulate them. Environmental regulators estimate that hundreds of thousands of Michigan’s septic systems are failing, flushing raw sewage that ends up where we swim, fish, drink. One local gem of a lake, however, will get some protections, thanks to the actions of a township board, nonprofit research and health department cooperation. Read the full story by The Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-septic-state-legislation-stagnate
According to Hamilton (Ontario) Region Public Health, the beaches at Binbrook Conservation Area and Valens Conservation Area tested unsafe for swimming as of Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. According to public health guidelines from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, water is considered unsafe for swimming when one sample contains 400 or more E. coli bacteria per 100 millilitres. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-hamilton-public-beaches-closures
Though the calendar still says it’s summertime, fall migration already has begun for some species of migratory birds, including the Great Lakes piping plover. Just this week the first juvenile piping plover from summer 2023′s fledglings was spotted on Sanibel Island, Florida. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-pipingplover-overwinter-florida
Empire Bluff Trail, known for knockout views of Lake Michigan and the park’s stunning shoreline, was the focus of a recent improvement project aimed at reducing erosion and environmental impact. The work included rerouting the trail around a steep hill with log steps that had become a harder climb due to high foot traffic in recent years. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230804-sleepingbeardunes-tailrerouted
In Charlevoix, Michigan, United States Geological Survey scientists will start getting information from an autonomous vessel called Saildrone in the Great Lakes. This bright orange solar and wind-powered boat was launched last week in Lake Michigan to understand fish stocks and allow scientists to compare its data to those from conventional research vessels. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-autonomous-research-vessel
For the first time in the state of Wisconsin, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released captive-reared Great Lakes piping plovers. Four 28-day-old chicks that had been rescued as eggs from an abandoned nest in the Apostle Islands were released at the Cat Island Restoration Site in Lower Green Bay, Wisconsin. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-piping-plovers-released
A swimmer’s itch outbreak has been detected in Lake Superior in areas of Whitefish Bay and Waishkey Bay in Chippewa County, Michigan. Health officials recommend beachgoers stay out of the water under certain weather conditions to lessen their risk of contracting the infection. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-infection-outbreak
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources researchers are attempting to learn how a freshwater algae, known as didymo or ‘rock snot’, impacts what various types of fish are eating in North Shore rivers and streams. The freshwater algae live in low nutrient, low-temperature environments and can form dense mats of brown slime that smother streambeds. Read and listen to the full story by WTIP – Grand Marais, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-algae-threats
This spring, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stocked Lake Michigan with one million chinook salmon, nearly 200,000 more fish than in 2022. As the population of salmon prey fish called alewife increases in Lake Michigan, the DNR is able to stock more salmon, ultimately leading to more fishing opportunities. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-salmon-increase
At University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Fresh Water Sciences, crew members and more than a dozen scientists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are preparing for a month-long trip across the Great Lakes aboard the largest vessel to navigate the Great Lakes. The samples collected will help scientists understand temperature profiles in the water as well as depth and provide insight into the food chain from. Read the full story by WISN-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-water-quality-study
In Lake Superior near Marquette, Michigan, the Marquette Maritime Museum has sponsored a new buoy to make finding shipwrecks easier for the Great Lakes Scuba Divers and Lake Preservation Club. Anchoring this buoy to the lake bottom will help the D. Leuty shipwreck, the first to be marked by the club, and its artifacts stay intact. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-shipwreck-exploration
William Scriber, executive director and CEO of the Port of Oswego Authority (POA) was elected secretary of the American Great Lakes Ports Association last week. Scriber joined the POA in 2009 as logistics manager and has been the director since 2017. Under his leadership, the port set a record year in 2022 with shipping alone up over 300% compared to 2021. Read the full story by Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-ferry-damage
Lake Michigan Carferry announced on Tuesday that it will not operate the S.S. Badger for the remainder of the season after the ship’s ramp system was damaged last month. The Badger transports passengers from Ludington, Michigan to Manitowac, Wisconsin, and was scheduled to offer overnight sailings through August 6. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Ludington, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-ferry-damage
Members of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association say they have located a vessel in deep Lake Michigan waters but will wait to publicly identify the sunken ship until a later date. So far, the only information being released is the vessel is in the West Michigan portion of Lake Michigan in very deep waters, far offshore. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230802-shipwreck-finding
Homes along Lake Michigan in Indiana are facing encroaching water due to erosion and climate change. However, the solution to build hardened revetments is causing pushback from environmentalists. Read the full story by the Journal Gazette & Times-Courier.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-shoreline-dispute
Several species of fish and mussels are disappearing from the Great Lakes, and a team of researchers at the University of Windsor is trying to find out why. Read the full story by CKNX- Wingham, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-biodiversity-loss
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has been conducting a program of manoomin (wild rice) restoration for more than a decade as the amount of wild rice in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan has declined over the past century. This will be aided by the development of a collaborative wild rice stewardship plan. Read the full story by the Daily Mining Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-wild-rice
In Michigan, the annual State of the Lake address succinctly described the importance of Lake St. Clair to its residents with a review of various restoration projects, efforts to ensure water cleanliness and safety, the economic impact of the lake, and the results of the first-ever Lake St. Clair Coastal Study. Read the full story by the Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-macomb-county
The Ontario government will invest $6 million to support 30 multi-year projects aimed at helping protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes. The project areas include the southeast shores of Lake Huron, Eastern Georgian Bay and Huron-Bruce and are aimed at reducing plastic litter, excess nutrients and road salt entering the waterways, and advancing climate resiliency. Read the full story by the Owen Sound Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-province-projects
There’s a mystery unfolding in northwest Indiana, where hundreds of bats washed up on the shore of Lake Michigan on Saturday. Read the full story by WBBM- Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-dead-bats
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District has posted a health advisory at Cleveland’s Edgewater Park following heavy rains that caused sewage and stormwater to overflow and be dumped into Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-edgewater-health
According to a report, Indiana is the state with the greatest economic impact from cargo handling by ports and terminals along the Great Lakes-Seaway system. Read the full story by Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-indiana-seaway
Tony Gatliff, a 42-year Grosse Pointe Farms resident and former ship’s officer and pilot for the Ford Motor Co. Fleet, has taken on the unique project of creating cottages out of the pilot house of a freighter. Read and listen to the full story by the Grosse Pointe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-freighter-homes
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has confirmed the blue-green algae in a water sample collected on July 25. People are reminded to avoid water whenever a blue-green algae bloom is present and to wait two weeks after it has dissipated. Read the full story by the Chronical Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230731-superior-algae
The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a bill directing completion of a new study of potential security shortfalls at the Soo Locks, as well as the supply chain and economic impacts of a potential failure at the Great Lakes shipping lock complex at Sault Ste. Marie. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-soo-locks
Lakes seeing less water moving through them due to a lack of rain may see conditions ripe for blooms to form. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-algal-blooms
One of the federally endangered piping plover chicks that’s been roaming a North Side beach in recent weeks has ties to a prominent local family. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-plover
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has filed a lawsuit against 3M and 23 other companies over contamination of its water and fish with PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals.” Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-pfas
Officials of Port Milwaukee and The DeLong Co., Inc. recently celebrated the grand opening of the $40-million Agricultural Maritime Export Facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read the full story by the High Plains Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-maritime
The US. Army Corps of Engineers is installing a new stone breakwater at Buffalo, New York’s Outer Harbor. Read the full story by The Chronicle Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-breakwater
The St. Lawrence River has at least 250 wrecks that can be explored in the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Read the full story by WWNY -TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-shipwrecks
Wisconsin’s newest papermill, opened by Green Bay Packaging in 2021, has been validated as a “net-zero” water user. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-paper-mill
On the 43rd Governor’s Fish Ohio Day on Thursday, July 20, legislators, natural resources administrators, tourism officials and the media flocked to Port Clinton, Ohio to pay homage to what many say is the greatest of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-fish-ohio-day
City leaders have been working to push forward a unified vision for a new lakefront plant in Cleveland, Ohio. Read the full story by Cleveland Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230728-cleveland-lakefront
