On:
In: Daily News

Deep winter snow and prolonged ice cover on Upper Peninsula inland lakes can create conditions that present unique habitat challenges to fish. Staffers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division annually survey lakes in late winter to determine if habitat variables are suitable for survival of fish stocked. Read the full story by the Iron Mountain Daily News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-breathing-ice

Ken Gibbons

On:
In: Daily News

Salt-speckled sidewalks, driveways and highways are synonymous with winter in the Great Lakes region. But while road salt is highly effective at deicing surfaces, the safety that salt provides for humans places a heavy burden on freshwater ecosystems. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-road-salt

Ken Gibbons

On:
In: Daily News

Wisconsin and the rest of the nation have endured frigid temperatures in recent weeks, but officials with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore say it won’t be enough for the ice caves to form on Lake Superior this winter. The park announced the ice caves would remain closed for the remainder of the season. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-ice-caves

Ken Gibbons

On:
In: Daily News

Nestlé Waters North America and its controversial Ice Mountain bottled water operations in Michigan are being sold to a pair of New York private equity firms — and that has water advocates who’ve knocked heads with Nestlé for years, alleging environmental impacts from its water extraction, worried about what comes next. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-nestle

Ken Gibbons

On:
In: Daily News

In New York, there’s optimism that the north country could dodge a summer of flooding along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. After years of flooding and property damage, the group that controls water levels is voicing optimism for 2021. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-flooding

Ken Gibbons

On:
In: Series - Primary
History, Mystery and Chemistry – Episode 1022

A mysterious decades-old home movie chronicles a Great Lakes freighter journey, and our team of experts answer some questions about the film. Can our audience help with more information? And a journalist wondered how much PFAS was in his blood, his home, and his cat so he tested everything and shared the results.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/history-mystery-and-chemistry-episode-1022/

GLN Editor

On:
In: Drinking Water, Latest News, Michigan, Natasha Blakely, Nestle, News, Ontario, Water Withdrawals
Nestlé Exit: North American bottled water brands sold to investment firm

The years-long saga surrounding Nestlé and its Michigan groundwater withdrawals comes to an end – in a way – as Nestlé withdraws from the situation, selling its North American water brands to another corporation.

Nestlé announced this week that it unloaded a number of U.S. and Canadian brands, including Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Ice Mountain Brand 100% Natural Spring Water and Pure Life.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/nestle-north-america-bottled-water-brands-sold-investment-firm/

Natasha Blakely

On:
In: Adam Bechle, AWRA, Coastal Engineering, coastal hazards, Great Lakes water levels, water levels

More than an expected 100 water managers and researchers will gather virtually March 3 and 4 for the annual American Water Resources Association Wisconsin Section meeting to discuss and strategize regarding water challenges and opportunities. Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s coastal engineer, will deliver a plenary talk.

Wisconsin has a wealth of water—1.2 quadrillion gallons of groundwater; lakes Michigan and Superior; the Mississippi, Wisconsin and St. Croix rivers; more than 5 million acres of wetlands; and more than 15,000 lakes—yet all that volume does not guarantee it’s without challenges and opportunities. That is especially true when balancing agriculture, the environment and public health.

The meeting will feature 80 presentations by researchers from the state’s University System schools, non-governmental agencies, water-related businesses and federal and state agencies.

There will be two plenary sessions. Bechle’s talk will take place at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, March 4. He will explore the reasons behind record-high water levels on the Great Lakes and what the future may bring.

Lake Michigan’s high water levels have had an effect on natural and manmade structures.

At 8:40 a.m. Wednesday, March 3, two speakers will discuss tracking COVID-19 through wastewater as well as how viruses move through groundwater.

Anyone is welcome to attend and registration is here.

The meeting is sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin with additional conference support from the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, Sea Grant’s sister organization. 

The post Sea Grant’s coastal engineer to discuss Great Lakes levels first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grants-coastal-engineer-to-discuss-great-lakes-levels/

Moira Harrington

On:
In: Adam Bechle, AWRA

More than an expected 100 water managers and researchers will gather virtually March 3 and 4 for the annual American Water Resources Association Wisconsin Section meeting to discuss and strategize regarding water challenges and opportunities.

Wisconsin has a wealth of water—1.2 quadrillion gallons of groundwater; lakes Michigan and Superior; the Mississippi, Wisconsin and St. Croix rivers; more than 5 million acres of wetlands; and more than 15,000 lakes—yet all that volume does not guarantee it’s without challenges and opportunities. That is especially true when balancing agriculture, the environment and public health.

The meeting will feature 80 presentations by researchers from the state’s University System schools, non-governmental agencies, water-related businesses and federal and state agencies.

There will be two plenary sessions. At 8:40 a.m., Wednesday, March 3, two speakers will discuss tracking COVID-19 through wastewater as well as how viruses move through groundwater. At 8:30 a.m. Thursday, March 4 a Wisconsin Sea Grant coastal engineer will dissect the causes and effects of record-high water levels on the Great Lakes, and what the lakes’ future might bring.

Anyone is welcome to attend and registration is here.

The meeting is sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin with additional conference support from the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.

 

The post State’s leading water managers and researchers meeting first appeared on WRI.

Original Article

News Release – WRI

News Release – WRI

https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/states-leading-water-managers-and-researchers-meeting/

Moira Harrington

On:
In: Daily News

Eagle Creek Renewable Energy which operates Morrow Dam near Kalamazoo, MI has stated it’s almost ready to dredge a small amount of sediment from the Kalamazoo River. But the company’s overall timetable for cleaning up the silt that poured out of the dam’s reservoir last year has not satisfied state regulators. Read the full story by WMUK – FM – Kalamazoo, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-michigan-dam-dredge

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy will lower the dam’s Tobacco River spillway Feb. 24 by more than 20 feet, which will drop water levels about 12 feet upstream of the dam by mid-March. The decreased water levels will make ice formations hazardous in those areas as the water recedes, according to a department statement. Read the full story by The Detroit News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-michigan-dam

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Construction of the $20 million FishPass project is on hold. FishPass construction was supposed to start in January, however a judge has ruled that there’s enough evidence to argue it might need to go to a public vote. Read to the full story by WWTV – TV – Cadillac, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-fishpass-michigan

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Multiple studies dating back to the 1970s have shown that road deicing salt has a negative impact on soil, vegetation, wildlife, surface water, groundwater and human health. In December 2020, Michigan passed Public Act No. 310 which states in part that, “the department must implement a pilot program on the use of agricultural additives to control ice on public roads [and] … review the potential efficacy and environmental impacts of agricultural additives, while maintaining the safety and mobility of the motoring public.” Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-road-salt-alternatives

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

A New York private equity firm, has purchased the bottled water brand as part of a $4.3 billion acquisition, which includes all of Nestle’s assets in Michigan, including a massive bottling factory in Mecosta County and several high-capacity groundwater extraction wells that have been the focus of intense criticism in recent years. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-michigan-nestle-water

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

A collection of environmental experts is scheduled to dissect the effects of and plans to address the New Zealand mud snail under Michigan Trout Unlimited’s webinar series which will begin Feb. 24 and include monthly sessions through June. Read the full story by Record-Eagle.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-invasive-snails-webinar

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

The Farmory raises the Green Bay strain of yellow perch in captivity because they need help to thrive as young fish. In the wild Green Bay yellow perch take two years to reach maturity but in these ideal conditions, the Farmory can grow them in a single year. Read the full story by WeAreGreenBay.com.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-wisconsin-fish-perch

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Premier Doug Ford says he can’t get through to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over concerns about an estimated 3,000 Ontario refinery jobs that are at stake because of the state’s decision to close an underwater Enbridge pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac by May. Read and view the full story by Toronto Star.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-line-5-pipeline

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

The Ontario government is planning to expand the Greenbelt to encompass more urban river valleys and the Paris-Galt Moraine, a rock formation that stretches across the northwestern Greater Toronto Area with what could be the largest addition since it was originally protected in 2005. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-ontario-conservation-greenbelt

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, considered the entire Great Lakes 42% ice covered Tuesday which is about average. This represents an increase from last year at this time when only 14.2% of the lakes was iced over and is a little shy of 51.5% at this time in 2019. Read the full story by Duluth News Tribune.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021021-ice-cover

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, fish, Fish, Birds and Animals, forever chemicals, Forever Chemicals Featured, Latest News, Michigan, News, PFAS, recreational hunting, Recreational Hunting and Fishing, Research, Research, Data and Technology, science
PFAS is in fish and wildlife. Researchers prowl Michigan for clues.

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/pfas-fish-wildlife-researchers-michigan/

Bridge Michigan

On:
In: Daily News

Across the Upper Midwest, anglers are noticing changes to the fish they catch every year. As climate change warms rivers and lakes in Michigan, cold-water fish such as cisco are disappearing from some lakes. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-cc-fish

Ned Willig

On:
In: Daily News

A fisheries biologist in Wisconsin accepted at least $20,000 in jars of lake sturgeon caviar in return for supplying to a caviar processor eggs that had been collected under the guise of research, a criminal complaint filed last week said. Lake sturgeon are a threatened species in North America and fishing sturgeon in Wisconsin is strictly regulated. Read the full story by the New York Times.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-caviar

Ned Willig

On:
In: Daily News

Officials in Michigan are requiring an energy company clean-up of sludge and sediment that it released into the Kalamazoo river last year. The sludge was released when the energy company lowered Morrow Lake at the dam in Comstock Township in 2019.  Read the full story by WKZO – Kalamazoo, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-kzoo-river-sludge

Ned Willig

On:
In: Daily News

Officials in Ohio are pushing for the Ohio General Assembly to approve additional funding for the H2Ohio initiative. If approved, the funding would provide millions of dollars to support statewide water quality improvement programs. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-h2ohio

Ned Willig

On:
In: Daily News

The Federal Highway Administration recently designated a 70-mile stretch of highway along Lake Superior in Wisconsin as a National Scenic Byway. The designation highlights the archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities offered by the roadway. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-byway

Ned Willig

On:
In: Daily News

Since 2018, Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government has used unappealable special orders to allow a host of powerful developers to build in ecologically sensitive areas, bypassing the usual approval process. These ministerial zoning orders have also allowed swaths of farmland and a slice of ecologically sensitive moraine to be opened up for development. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-doug-ford

Ned Willig

On:
In: Advisory Council, Lori Tate

In the Wisconsin Sea Grant online newsroom, we recently introduced four new members of the Advisory Council. Council members help shape Sea Grant’s future, enabling it to better serve the people of Wisconsin.

Now, here on our blog, we’d like to give people a chance to get to know those four newcomers better through Q & As. Our fourth and final installment features Lori Tate of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Tate is section chief of the DNR’s Fisheries Management Bureau and is based in Madison.

Lori Tate (submitted photo).

Do you have a favorite spot in the Great Lakes, or a favorite natural area?

Growing up in Canada, Lake Superior was always my favorite. Long drives along the north shore and stops at Old Woman Bay, Nanabijou (Sleeping Giant Park) – those were my favorite childhood places.  Now, I feel so fortunate to call Wisconsin my home, and I love taking my family to explore the southern shore of Lake Superior. One of our other favorite camping spots is Peninsula State Park on beautiful Green Bay.

What drew you to say “yes” to serving on the Advisory Council?  

I am committed to fostering relationships between partner organizations and our Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Management program.  I feel that the work that Sea Grant does in Wisconsin is so important, and I was honored to join the Advisory Council.

Is there a special aspect of Sea Grant’s work or mission that speaks to you the most?

Sea Grant’s active outreach efforts connecting Great Lakes stakeholders with research and management is the aspect of the mission that speaks most to me. 

Where would you like to see Sea Grant headed in the near future? 

I am excited to see Sea Grant engaging in more collaborative fellowships, like Bryan Maitland’s; this is a great model for helping to answer research and management questions, and it provides these fantastic opportunities for young scientists!

The post Get to know the Advisory Council: Q & A with Lori Tate first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/get-to-know-the-advisory-council-q-a-with-lori-tate/

Jennifer Smith

On:
In: Drinking Water, Groundwater Contamination, Illinois, Kathy Johnson, Latest News, Michigan, News, Ontario, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, snow, Water quality, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Road Salt: Researchers look at vegetables and juices for alternatives to salt

Salt-speckled sidewalks, driveways and highways are synonymous with winter in the Great Lakes region. But while road salt is highly effective at deicing surfaces, the safety that salt provides for humans places a heavy burden on freshwater ecosystems.

“We have an unhealthy addiction to road salt,” said Claire Oswald, a hydrologist and associate professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/road-salt-reducing-usage-great-lakes-freshwater-ecosystem/

Kathy Johnson

On:
In: Freshwater Weekly, News
This week: PFAS Released at Airport in Pellston, Michigan + Chicago Water Supply is Expanding to Joliet and Residents Will Be Paying For It +The Poster Child For Wetland Destruction + Board Spotlight – Stephanie Smith + Freshwater Future Grant Program Webinar on February 25th–Mark Your Calendar

PFAS Released at Airport in Pellston, Michigan

A year ago, the Pellston Youth Water Council, with the help of Freshwater Future, initiated an investigation sampling water in homes near the Pellston Regional airport, discovering high concentrations of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Recently, over a gallon of PFAS was released into the environment after a firefighting testing incident at the same airport. For a community already dealing with filters and alternative water sources for their needs, additional spills of these substances only heighten concerns. While Michigan has set drinking water standards for several types of the more than 5,000 types of PFAS, more safeguards are needed in airports and other locations with high PFAS use. Checkout our PFAS regulatory chart to see where different jurisdictions in the Great Lakes region fall in regulating these harmful chemicals.

Chicago Wins Competition to Sell Lake Michigan Water to Joliet

Chicago wins the $30 million a year deal securing it as a water supplier for Joliet, IL. The needed regional water infrastructure upgrades are expected to triple Joliet’s residential water rates in the coming decade. For those wondering why Joliet doesn’t have to meet the requirements of the Great Lakes Compact in order to receive this Great Lakes water in a city outside of the Great Lakes basin, it is because of Chicago’s Supreme Court consent decree that allows the state of Illinois to determine where the water allocated through the decree is utilized.

Avoiding Public Input and Allowing Wetland Destruction

Due to COVID-19, some cities have been hit hard economically, and Pickering, Ontario is no different. The municipality however, has been quietly ‘cutting red tape’ to bypass the opportunity for input of the community by using “Minister’s Zoning Orders,” which bypass normal planning processes, including the right of residents to appeal. As a result, wetlands are in peril of being destroyed in order to build new development projects. The community is concerned that without wetlands during stints of heavy rain or heavy snow melt, excess water would have no choice but to flood nearby home basements and increase erosion to shoreline communities.

Board Spotlight – Stephanie Smith

Please meet Freshwater Future’s Board Chair, Stephanie Smith. Smith has an unwavering commitment to water, Freshwater Future, and our Great Lakes partners and communities. Throughout her career, her reach has extended across the world to over 17 different countries with the same goal of water protection. 

Freshwater Future Grant Program Webinar on February 25th–Mark Your Calendar

Join us on February 25, 2021 at 10am EST to learn more about Freshwater Future’s grant programs. This informal webinar will provide a brief overview of our grants programs and how to apply. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers. In the meantime, check-out Freshwater Future’s 2021 Grant Opportunities guidelines to see if your organization is eligible.   

 

Original Article

Blog – Freshwater Future

Blog – Freshwater Future

https://freshwaterfuture.org/freshwater-weekly/freshwater-weekly-february-12-2021/

Freshwater Future

On:
In: Daily News

As Indiana lawmakers debate dozens of bills addressing environmental matters, tensions are flaring over whether the state should adopt greener initiatives or step back current policy affecting water, energy and other resources. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210216-indiana-regulations

Jill Estrada

On:
In: Daily News

Though Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed no tax increases in her 2022 budget last week, the budget calls for increases to more than 140 fees for state government services, ranging from getting a traffic crash report from the Michigan State Police to getting a permit to develop areas designated as wetlands. Read the full story by The Detroit Free Press.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210216-michigan-budget

Jill Estrada

On:
In: Daily News

Years into Michigan’s PFAS contamination crisis, the state’s experience with widespread PFAS contamination has made it an early research laboratory into how the chemicals spread through the environment, and what that does to the species that live anywhere near the toxic stew. Read the full story by the Bridge Michigan.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210216-pfas

Jill Estrada

On:
In: Daily News

Hamilton says it cannot vacuum up the sewage sludge coating the bottom of Chedoke Creek until at least eight months after the deadline in a provincial cleanup order. Now it’s up to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to decide whether to give the city more time. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210216-chedoke-creek

Jill Estrada

On:
In: Daily News

Olympic speed skater Brian Hansen, an Illinois native, looks forward to the winter season every year knowing that there’s a decent chance that Lake Michigan will freeze over, and he’ll be able to skate along the freshly formed ice. Read the full story by Milwaukee Magazine.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210216-lake-michigan

Jill Estrada

On:
In: Daily News

Three decades after completing a study looking to understand the effects of global warming on living creatures, The University of Michigan is conducting a first-of-its-kind analysis of questions looking at relevance for human migration. Read the full story by the Bridge Magazine.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210216-climate-refuge

Jill Estrada