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Invasive Mussel Collaborative releases new research and control coordination tool

Ann Arbor, Mich. –  The Invasive Mussel Collaborative (IMC) today announced the release of a coordination tool to help protect the Great Lakes basin from the impacts of invasive mussels. The new “Dreissena Project Coordination Mapper” allows researchers and managers to share their work and collaborate with others for the advancement and protection of waterways from invasive mussels in the Great Lakes and beyond. The mapper features 120 past and current projects from across North America and new project information is being accepted on an ongoing basis.

“Since first appearing in the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, invasive zebra and quagga mussels have caused significant ecological and economic damage across the basin,” said Todd L. Ambs, chair of the Great Lakes Commission, which leads the IMC with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “This new tool will help equip jurisdictions to better respond to current invasions and prevent them in the future by allowing researchers to identify potential collaborators who are using similar or complementary approaches.”

A frequently updated project database is helpful to capture the current state of science for dynamic areas of research such as dreissenid mussel control. The mapper will improve coordination of invasive mussel research and control by facilitating sharing projects during the early stages, opening up the opportunity to develop new collaborations without having to wait until results are published.

The IMC was established to provide a framework for communication and coordination between a broad membership base of states, provinces, tribal and other entities to determine management objectives for invasive mussels and identify and guide research needed to achieve those objectives. The Dreissena Project Coordination Mapper was debuted by research scientists out of USGS and NOAA which led tool development at a symposium on invasive species collaboratives at the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting on May 20.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hannah Reynolds, hreynolds@glc.org.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/news/imc-researchtool

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Brian Owens, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, infrastructure, invasive species, Latest News, News, Ontario, Protect, quagga mussels, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, technology, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, zebra mussels
AI technology could be used to monitor invaders in the Great Lakes

Invasive zebra and quagga mussels are firmly established in the Great Lakes, and efforts to control them have proved mostly fruitless. But environmental managers still want to know where they are, how many there are and what they are up to, so they can predict how the ecosystem will be affected and protect vital infrastructure.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ai-technology-invaders-great-lakes/

Brian Owens

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In: Agriculture, Climate, Climate change

Researchers found that increasing temperatures from climate change may slightly increase milk production, despite the heat stress on cows. The loss of milk production through heat stress is offset by the increase in feed production.

The post Climate change increases milk production first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/05/24/climate-change-increases-milk-production/

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In: aquaculture, Commercial Fishing, Eat Midwest Fish, Eat Wisconsin Fish, Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Red Cliff Fish Co., Sharon Moen

Spring has sprung in Wisconsin, bringing with it warmer days, longer evenings and the return of farmer’s markets. Our state’s plentiful markets offer not only a chance to buy local goodies—from colorful produce to cheeses, meat, honey and more—but also a way to get acquainted with the hard-working people who produce our food.

Farmers’ markets may also spur us to think about other food-related goals we might have, such as eating more healthfully or supporting local and regional economies.

Three online resources can help you embrace similar food goals when serving fish. Through these websites you can find fish caught by commercial fishers on the Great Lakes and fish raised sustainably by farmers in our region.

Here’s a quick roundup of the three:

Eat Wisconsin Fish:

Sharon Moen showed off her grilling skills during a live webinar hosted by Ohio Sea Grant in summer 2021. Moen prepared fish kabobs using Wisconsin fish.

You could call EatWisconsinFish.org the “OG” of fish-finding resources in the Great Lakes region. An initiative of Wisconsin Sea Grant, the project has been around for years, but new life was breathed into it with the 2020 hire of Outreach Specialist Sharon Moen.

Last summer, the site’s map got a makeover thanks to intern Hunter Goldman, an Ashland College student. The interactive map shows places in Wisconsin where food fish are grown, harvested, processed and more.

This summer, a new intern, Emma Kraco, will assist Moen. Kraco, a recent graduate of UW-Milwaukee, will help Moen improve the map and share the stories of food-fish producers in Wisconsin.

Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder: In fall 2021, Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder joined the mix. While it drew inspiration from Eat Wisconsin Fish, its geographic range is broader, as are the intended purposes of the fish.

The Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder logo shows two fish in a stylized grocery shopping cart.

Attendees can learn more about Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder at a May 26 webinar.

While Eat Wisconsin Fish focuses on fish for your dinner plate, Great Lakes Fish Finder includes species for pond stocking, bait and ornamental purposes. And as it name suggests, its geographic swath covers all of the Great Lakes states.

Take a tour of Fresh Fish Finder through a webinar at 11:30 a.m. (central) on Thursday, May 26. Called “Finding Fish for Food or Fun: Exploring the Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder,” the event is hosted by the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative and will spotlight several regional producers, including Wisconsin’s Red Cliff Fish Co., run by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Bayfield, along Lake Superior. Register for the event here.

Eat Midwest Fish: This site’s map pinpoints farms raising food fish and shellfish in the Upper Midwest. It launched in early 2021 as a joint effort of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and other partners, including the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center. Like Eat Wisconsin Fish, the site includes tasty recipe ideas, such as bluegill chowder and oven-fried perch.

With these resources at your fingertips, it’s never been easier to find local fish (unless, perhaps, you catch your own—also a fine choice). Bon appetit!

The post Embrace local eating this season: Three resources for finding Wisconsin and Great Lakes fish first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/embrace-local-eating-this-season-three-resources-for-finding-wisconsin-and-great-lakes-fish/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=embrace-local-eating-this-season-three-resources-for-finding-wisconsin-and-great-lakes-fish

Jennifer Smith

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In: Alex Hill, clean energy, Energy, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Lake Huron, Michigan, News, nuclear waste, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Mapping the Great Lakes: Power up

Love staring at a map and discovering something interesting? Then “Mapping the Great Lakes” is for you. It’s a monthly Great Lakes Now feature created by Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines cartography, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/mapping-the-great-lakes-power-up/

Alex Hill

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In: Budget, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, Municipalities, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, water, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Water's True Cost
Water’s True Cost

By J. Carl Ganter, Circle of Blue

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/waters-true-cost/

Circle of Blue

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In: Daily News

The City of Manitowoc, WI is again reminding residents it is unlawful to place grass clippings in city streets and alleys. When mowing your lawn, the city asks that you direct the blower away from the street and clean up any grass clippings that make it there. Grass blown into the street can easily enter the storm sewer, which ends up in rivers and lakes. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-manitowoc-wi-grassclippings

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Daily News

Details on how to finance the Village of Minooka’s $20 million stake in the Grand Prairie Water Commission that would bring Lake Michigan water to town were reviewed by trustees at a committee of the whole workshop held last week. Read the full story by WSPY – Plano, IL.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-minooka-lakemiwater

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Daily News

Fishing seasons for muskellunge begin on June 1 in inland waters and June 15 in Great Lakes waters (Lake Erie, upper Niagara River, lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River), according to state Department of Environmental Conservation officials. Read the full story by the Lockport Journal.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-muskiefishing

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Daily News

That blissful beach getaway you’ve been yearning for is much closer than you realize. Historically a busy trading post, Southampton, just a three-hour drive northwest from Toronto, features a sandy beach along Lake Huron, a community full of beautiful homes, more good food than you’ll have time to enjoy and an award-winning craft beer. Read the full story by the Toronto Star.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-lakehuron-southhampton

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Daily News

Corälee Allaert, a 22-year-old University of Guelph student, has decided to tackle a big challenge to make something positive in her life. She will be swimming across two of the Great Lakes to commemorate the youth who have lost their lives to suicide. Read the full story by Guelph Today.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-swimming-greatlakes

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Daily News

EDITORIAL – The rise in fuel prices has prompted renewed interest in expanding container shipping at America’s Great Lakes ports, like Duluth and Cleveland. There is potential for Port of Duluth to develop containerized dry bulk agricultural exports to Europe, where growing numbers of customers are willing to take delivery of containers of agricultural produce. Read the full story by The Maritime Executive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-greatlakes-containershipping

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Uncategorized
How much extra does a family of 5 in Toledo pay in their water bills due to upstream pollution? Almost $100 extra!

Ohioans across the state are struggling to afford their water and sewer bills. A first-of-its-kind case study finds that water bills are pushed even higher for communities that pull their drinking water from Lake Erie due to harmful algal blooms caused by upstream agricultural pollution. And the costs are not insignificant. An analysis by the Alliance for the Great Lakes found that a family of five in Toledo is paying roughly an additional $100/year in their water bill because of this pollution problem. The case study illuminates the fact that downstream water users are paying a real cost for managing a pollution problem they did not create, compounding water affordability issues faced by many Ohioans.

Harmful Algal Blooms Threaten Drinking Water

Each summer, western Lake Erie experiences massive algal blooms which can produce harmful toxins that threaten drinking water supplies. These blooms are fueled by excess nutrients flowing off upstream agricultural lands into the lake.

The harmful algal blooms (HABs) in western Lake Erie can produce harmful cyanotoxins, a common one being microcystin. These toxins are a serious threat to human and animal health. Microcystin is a potent liver toxin and a possible human carcinogen. Cyanotoxins can also kill livestock and pets that drink affected waters.

Almost eight years ago, toxins from an algal bloom got into the drinking water systems of Toledo, Ohio. On August 2nd, 2014, more than half a million Toledo-area residents were ordered not to drink or even touch their water. The order lasted for nearly three days. A few weeks later, residents of Pelee Island, Ontario faced a similar crisis lasting nearly two weeks.

Pollution Burden Shouldered by Downstream Water Users

To ensure drinking water safety, drinking water facilities that draw water from Lake Erie have put into place additional monitoring and treatment, which can cost millions of dollars. This is a very real financial burden for drinking water facilities, which gets passed on to ratepayers.

These additional costs – which are critical to ensure safe drinking water – add up. The Alliance’s analysis found the additional annual average per-capita cost for HAB-related monitoring and treatment for Ohio residents who get their drinking water from Lake Erie is $10.48. For Toledo-area residents, the additional cost jumps to $18.76 per year, which translates to almost $100 extra per year on a water bill for a family of five. The case study is based on data from a 2020 survey administered by the Ohio Department of Drinking and Groundwater.

Downstream ratepayers, many of whom are already struggling to pay their water bills, should not have to shoulder the financial burden of addressing this pollution problem. And the longer this pollution problem continues, the costs will only increase as the water quality in western Lake Erie continues to degrade.

Improved Data, Transparency, and Accountability Needed

The case study identified three lessons learned from the analysis. They are:

  • Downstream Water Users Bear the Burden of Upstream Polluters: Downstream ratepayers are paying a real cost for managing a pollution problem they did not create. And, it is exacerbating existing water affordability issues. Ohio needs a statewide conversation about who is responsible for this financial burden. The state of Ohio must give downstream stakeholders a meaningful seat at the table in policy discussions on stopping agricultural runoff pollution.
  • Ongoing Data Needed: The Ohio Department of Drinking and Groundwater should repeat this survey every three years. However public water facilities should collect cost information related to HABs on an annual basis. The data in this report is from 2020, which was a relatively small algal bloom year in western Lake Erie. Many costs incurred by water treatment facilities are variable depending on the bloom size and toxicity. Repeating the study will provide more accurate information to ratepayers, elected officials, and government agencies managing this pollution problem.
  • Transparent & Accessible Data Needed: The information in this case study was received only after learning Ohio Environmental Protection Agency conducted the cost survey and the Alliance for the Great Lakes requested the results from the agency through a public records request. It is unacceptable that this is not easy to find and understand public information. Ratepayers should be able to easily access this information and have a right to know the impact upstream pollution has on their water bills.

Download and read the full case study: Western Lake Erie Basin Drinking Water Systems: Harmful Algal Bloom Cost of Intervention.

The post New Study: Downstream Water Users Bear Financial Burden of Upstream Pollution appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2022/05/new-study-downstream-water-users-bear-financial-burden-of-upstream-pollution/

Judy Freed

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In: Green Gavel, Michigan, water

“Glenn’s Island” in the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh was formed of sludge illegally discharged from the nearby Aspinwall Drinking Water Plant. And some plant employees nicknamed it for retired supervisor Glenn Lijewski, who is awaiting sentencing for conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act.

The post Alleghany River polluter cops plea in sludge ‘island’ case first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/05/23/alleghany-river-polluter-cops-plea-in-sludge-island-case/

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In: AP, biden administration, Climate change, Forests and Plants, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Science, Technology, Research, trees, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments
Biden forest plan stirs dispute over what counts as “old”

By Matthew Brown and Matthew Daly, Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s order to protect the nation’s oldest forests against climate change, wildfires and other problems devastating vast woodlands is raising a simple yet vexing question: When does a forest grow old?

Millions of acres are potentially on the line — federal land that could eventually get new protections or remain open to logging as the administration decides which trees to count under Biden’s order covering “old growth” and “mature” forests.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-biden-forest-plan-dispute/

The Associated Press

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The Great Lakes have been receding from record high water levels over the past few years. The amount of water that has left the Great Lakes is staggering. Each Great Lake peaked in a different year, and each of the Great Lakes’ water levels have fallen from there. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-lakemichigan-lakehuron-waterloss

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Daily News

Michigan Senator Gary Peters has introduced legislation to strengthen federal pipeline safety measures and mandate better oil spill cleanup methods. The new legislation is called Preventing Releases of Toxic Environment Contaminants Threatening Our Great Lakes Act – called PROTECT for short. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-legislation-preventoilspills-greatlakes

Hannah Reynolds

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Just how big an underinvestment Ontario is facing when it comes to the state of its drinking and wastewater infrastructure is difficult to tabulate. Some estimate the province is investing billions of dollars less than what’s needed to keep the system running smoothly. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-ontario

Laura Andrews

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The first U.S. Navy vessel to dock in the local port since 1993, when the Navy conducted regular Great Lakes tours, was outlined in festive bunting Thursday as it docked on Rice’s Point. The hulking, nearly 400-foot war ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is scheduled to be commissioned into the Navy during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday in Duluth, Minnesota. Read the full story by The Bemidji Pioneer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-warship-duluth

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Daily News

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the boat will focus on cleaning up Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and the Fox River. They’ll specifically target areas around marinas, where they expect to find concentrations of litter. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-pollutionvessel-greatlakes

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Climate change, Collaboration, dams, Equity and Environmental Justice, hydropower, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Dam Accounting: Taking Stock of Methane Emissions From Reservoirs

By Tara Lohan, The Revelator

This story originally appeared in The Revelator and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

This month regulators greenlighted a transmission line that would bring power generated from Canadian hydroelectric dams to New York City.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/stock-methane-emissions-reservoirs/

The Revelator

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In: Agriculture, AP, Climate change, Duluth, flood damage, flooding, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Minnesota, Municipalities, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The States
National Guard to help with northeastern Minnesota flooding

ST. PAUL (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday activated the National Guard to help control record flooding in areas of northeastern Minnesota.

Emergency management officials in St. Louis and Koochiching counties requested the assistance to deal with high water caused by heavy spring rains and rapid snowmelt throughout the Rainy River Basin.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-national-guard-minnesota-flooding/

The Associated Press

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In: Art, Commentary, Echo, water

Geo Rutherford is a self-described Great Lakes enthusiast that built a large following—the same number that the Washington Post has—by making educational TikTok videos about the Great Lakes and other lakes around the world.

The post Spooky lakes and beach trash: How a Wisconsin teacher and artist gained 1.3 million TikTok followers first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/05/20/spooky-lakes-and-beach-trash-how-a-wisconsin-teacher-and-artist-gained-1-3-million-tiktok-followers/

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Drinking Water News Roundup: $3M invested in Illinois water system, coal ash rule means safer water in Indiana

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.

Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

 

Illinois:

  • Illinois American Water Announces Investment of Over $3 Million in Sterling Water System During National Infrastructure Week – Business Wire

Illinois American Water is investing over $3 million to replace over 8,600 feet or 1.6 miles of water main throughout the Sterling Water System.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-water-system-coal-ash-indiana/

Tynnetta Harris

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Canada ranks dead last among G7 on climate progress: Earth Index

By Shawn McCarthy, Corporate Knights

This story originally appeared in Corporate Knights and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

Canada must make up for lost ground if it’s going to meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/canada-ranks-last-climate-progress/

Corporate Knights

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In: cancer, Central Sands, Chris Zahasky, e.coli water pollution, Kewaunee County, National Science Foundation, PET, positron emission tomography, University of Wisconsin Cylclotron Lab, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Groundwater pollution project is first to use cancer imaging technology in novel way

A Wisconsin Water Resources Institute project is exploring how bacteria and other water contaminants flow through soil by applying a medical technology widely used for cancer imaging.

Chris Zahasky, submitted photo

Chris Zahasky, assistant professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, received two years of funding to study soil types in the two most vulnerable geologic settings in Wisconsin for groundwater pollution. Those are the Central Sands district, which features sandy soil, and Kewaunee County along Lake Michigan, which features fractured bedrock. Zahasky is investigating how E. coli bacteria – one of the main water contaminants in Wisconsin – percolates through the soil and ends up polluting groundwater and people’s private wells.

His research team hypothesizes that flow of contaminated water though soil that’s highly permeable leads to bacterial contamination of groundwater at greater distances from the pollution source than what was thought possible based on previous laboratory measurements in more stable, homogeneous geologic materials.

“With a better understanding of these transport and travel pathways, we can build better models to understand and manage the risks associated with these contaminants,” Zahasky said. “We all know the source of bacteria and nitrate. In Wisconsin, it’s largely from certain agricultural activities. Ideally, we can make better decisions about the times of the year that you might do manure spreading or certain geologic setting that shouldn’t have manure spread on them because of the ability for these bacteria to travel through this material and get down to the groundwater.”

Zahasky and his team are conducting their research in the lab with soil samples they’ve gathered from the Central Sands area and Kewaunee County. They measure the soil’s properties, then pack it into large tubular columns and inject water through the material in a controlled manner. Then they add bacteria they’ve grown and pump them into the columns.

This is where the cancer imaging technology comes in. It’s called positron emission tomography (PET). In medical situations, doctors use PET with radio tracers to identify tumors in the body. It’s also used in some cases for cancer therapy treatment. The radio tracers are basically a radioactive sugar molecule. Cancer tumor cells have a high metabolism and so they uptake (eat) these sugar molecules at a higher rate than other cells in the body, which is what the PET ends up imaging.

Zahasky’s graduate students (Vy Le on the left and Collin Sutton right) work in the imaging lab. Submitted photo.

Zahasky explained how this works for his purposes. “We leverage that imaging technique by radio labelling these bacteria, which means that we attach these radioactive isotopes to the bacteria that are emitted as they travel through these columns. As we’re imaging them, we can essentially track where these bacteria are going, how fast they’re getting there and where they’re getting stuck.

“We’re the first people in the world to radio label bacteria for environmental and geologic purposes. We’re pretty excited about this,” Zahasky said.

How do they attach radioactive isotopes to tiny bacteria? Zahasky said it’s not complicated. “We grow the bacteria until just the right point – where they’re starting to get hungry. Then we add this radio-labeled sugar and they just gobble it up. The bacteria eat the sugars just like tumor cells do.”

Zahasky developed this approach during his Ph.D. work at Stanford University. However, many of the isotopes required for this imaging are produced at the University of Wisconsin Cyclotron Lab. So, it made sense for him to continue his research at UW-Madison, where he has built capability with support from a National Science Foundation grant.

“It allowed my research group to leverage this type of imaging in lots of new ways that just weren’t possible without having access to these facilities here on campus,” he said.

Zahasky plans to apply this technique to future studies involving the movement of microplastics and other contaminants such as heavy metals.

The post Percolating pollution first appeared on WRI.

Original Article

News Release | WRI

News Release | WRI

https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/percolating-pollution/

Marie Zhuikov

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In: Uncategorized
by Maya Reinfeldt, Library Assistant This summer learn about Wisconsin’s natural past, present and future and the people involved in studying and caring for it. Enjoy books about our state’s flora and fauna, Indigenous knowledge and ethics and about our founding naturalists. Black, Merel R., and Emmet J. Judziewicz. Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Great […]

Original Article

Wisconsin Water Library

Wisconsin Water Library

https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/celebrating-a-wisconsin-naturalist-summer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=celebrating-a-wisconsin-naturalist-summer

Anne Moser

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In: Andrew Reeves, Budget, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, infrastructure, Latest News, News, Ontario, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The Provinces, Tribal Governments and First Nations, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, water, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Ontario faces uneven investment in water infrastructure

This is part two in a two-part series looking at the cost of water in Ontario. Read part one here, and find the Great Lakes News Collaborative’s series on cost of water in Michigan here.

Just how big an underinvestment Ontario is facing when it comes to the state of its drinking and wastewater infrastructure is difficult to tabulate.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ontario-uneven-investment-water-infrastructure/

Andrew Reeves

On:
In: Capital News Service, Michigan, Nearshore, water

Coastal restoration efforts are underway across the state as recipients of the Michigan Coastal Management Program grants begin work locally. Seventeen awards totaling more than $1.1 million will fund projects and initiatives to protect, preserve and enhance the state’s coastal resources.

The post More beach, boat access planned from coastal grants first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/05/19/more-beach-boat-access-planned-from-coastal-grants/

Guest Contributor

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In: canada, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Energy, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, indigenous communities, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Tribal Governments and First Nations, water
FRESH: EPA Recommends Against Minnesota Mining Permit

Fresh is a biweekly newsletter from Circle of Blue that unpacks the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing, straight to your inbox, every other Tuesday.

— Laura Gersony, Fresh Editor

This Week’s Watersheds

  • The U.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/fresh-epa-minnesota-mining-permit/

Circle of Blue

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In: Daily News

A pair of 20-something lake sturgeons in a “touch tank” are ready to greet summer visitors to a new freshwater science center at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-lakeerie-algalbloom

Hannah Reynolds

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In: Andrew Reeves, Budget, canada, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, infrastructure, lake erie, Lake Ontario, Lake St. Clair, Lake Superior, Latest News, News, Ontario, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Science, Technology, Research, The Provinces, Toronto, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, water, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Even in Canada, where water prices are low, aging infrastructure and rising costs are a problem

This is part one in a two-part series looking at the cost of water in Ontario. Find the Great Lakes News Collaborative’s series on cost of water in Michigan here.

Canadians living in the Great Lakes basin have perhaps become spoiled at the seemingly endless availability of water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/canada-aging-infrastructure-rising-costs/

Andrew Reeves

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In: Daily News

Have you caught any odd-looking walleye from Lake Huron? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said it had received several reports of possible tissue degeneration in walleye from Lake Huron in the town of Au Gres, Michigan. Read the full story by WSMH-TV – Flint, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-discoloredwalleye

Hannah Reynolds