By David Eggert, Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan sued the owner and operator of a hydroelectric dam, alleging that its mismanaged drawdown of a lake to do repairs created sediment that has choked a 30-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, impeded recreational use and threatened public safety.
By David Eggert, Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan sued the owner and operator of a hydroelectric dam, alleging that its mismanaged drawdown of a lake to do repairs created sediment that has choked a 30-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, impeded recreational use and threatened public safety.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-dam-owner-sediment-kalamazoo-river/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/invasive-carp-money-great-lakes/
A wholesale fish dealer from Platteville has been convicted of illegally selling invasive carp in Wisconsin. As the state’s first case involving illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp, Li Fish Farm, LLC was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in penalties. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-carp-conviction
Enbridge’s plan to relocate a portion of its Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin could involve a controversial drilling method, Horizontal Directional Drilling, which the company admits may release toxic chemicals into surrounding waters. Read the full story by Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-line-5
Concerns about potential impacts on rivers and lakes linger in the lead-up to a long-awaited environmental hearing into a proposed palladium and copper mine near Marathon, Ontario. Read the full story by The Chronicle-Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-mining
More than a year after it arrived at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore for a scheduled maintenance overhaul to prep it for its Great Lakes assignment, the 225-foot cutter Spar is on its way to its new home port in Lake Superior. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-ice-breaker
Scientists at Bowling Green State University recently joined researchers from around the region in studying how Great Lakes algal blooms persist in winter months. Read the full story by Sentinel-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-winter-algae
An experimental project, named Phosphorous Optimal Wetland Demonstration, located in Defiance, OH is aimed at preventing harmful algae blooms and improving water quality in the Great Lakes and is featured in the February edition of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers magazine, The Corps Environment. Read the full story by The Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-phosphorous-ohio
The Ontario government is proposing legislative changes that would open the door to storing carbon dioxide underground in the province. Experts say the area near the north shore of Lake Erie between Port Dover and Windsor has the best geologic potential for storing carbon dioxide in Ontario. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-carbon
Sandusky, Ohio has begun construction on the Cedar Point Causeway Wetlands, a long-awaited 30-acre wetlands project on the west side of the Cedar Point Causeway, using material dredged from the Sandusky harbor to provide a new home for wildlife like birds and fish. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-cedar-point
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has recorded at least 18 earthquakes so far this year in Ohio, higher than the typical two or three earthquakes per month. Read the full story by Tribune Chronicle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-earthquakes
A wholesale fish dealer from Platteville has been convicted of illegally selling invasive carp in Wisconsin. As the state’s first case involving illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp, Li Fish Farm, LLC was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in penalties. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-carp
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202202
Scientists at Michigan State University are researching how to combat an agricultural parasite infecting hopyards across the state.
The post Researchers battle tiny menace to craft beers first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/14/researchers-battle-tiny-menace-to-craft-beers/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E8946C28.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E894FB20WI.GRBSPSGRB.1867766428f375641841528f4b93a2e4
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E893AC5C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E894AD00WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Approaching two years since Great Lakes Now’s initial reports on the pandemic’s immediate impact on the shipping industry, most ports have adjusted to the setbacks they once faced, including those in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-shipping
A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state, a watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-watermilfoil
Wild rice that grows in Michigan’s clearest and most pristine waters will be the focus of new state efforts to safeguard among the most culturally and ecologically important native plants in the upper Great Lakes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-wild-rice
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission, which serves to preserve Lake Erie’s natural resources and protect the lake’s ecosystems, held its quarterly meeting Wednesday to discuss future plans for Lake Erie. Read the full story by WNWO-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-commission
The U.S. Brig Niagara will sail to six ports of call in the Great Lakes this coming summer before returning home for Tall Ships Erie. But a new strategy to make the ship more accessible to the public and to collaborate more with the Erie Maritime Museum in coming years could shorten the ship’s sailing schedule. Read the full story by Erie Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-oil-brig-niagara
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E876D7E4.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E87739F0WI.GRBSPSGRB.58dd0d02c1a8670f83c52385f5ccd1d8
New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials, water pollution remediation crews, and U.S. Coast Guard members are working to address an oil spill at Lake Ontario’s Oswego Harbor. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-oil-spill
Houghton, Michigan and the Keweenaw Peninsula will welcome thousands of people seeing the area for the first time this summer as part of a series of summer cruises. Between June 1 and Sept. 21, seven cruises from Viking cruise line and two from the Victory fleet will dock in Houghton. Read the full story by the Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-cruise-ships
The Biden administration directed states this week to make sure that disadvantaged communities which struggle with disproportionally higher pollution and environmental health risks get an equitable share of new water infrastructure funding over the next five years. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-epa
Michigan needs to do more to combat climate change. The state has an opportunity, with federal infrastructure dollars, to enable the protection of remaining natural lands and for broader adoption of natural climate solutions like green stormwater infrastructure, especially in rapidly developing regions. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-climate-change
It’s time for the State of New York to do its part and stop the invasive round goby from spreading through the New York canal system before the ecology of Lake Champlain is changed forever. Read the full story by the Times Union.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220311-lake-champlain
If you notice your packages arriving much faster than they did at the start of the pandemic, it isn’t just a minor coincidence – rather, it could be the Great Lakes shipping industry making a comeback after weathering the effects of COVID-19’s spread.
“(This) has been a bounce-back season from the COVID-induced lows of 2020,” said Jason Hron, director of communication and marketing for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/2022-great-lakes-shipping-season-infrastructure-improvements-covid-19/
By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said Tuesday he and other officials are committed to boosting the role Native American tribes can play in managing public lands around the U.S.
He told members of a congressional committee during a virtual hearing that part of the effort includes integrating Indigenous knowledge into management plans and recognizing that federal lands once belonged to the tribes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-us-boost-cooperation-tribes-land-management/
By Mike Householder and John Flesher, Associated Press
STANDISH, Mich. (AP) — Bridget Wheelock knelt onto the frozen surface of Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, reached a gloved hand into the frigid water below and pulled out a large chunk of ice.
“There’s a little bit of prism effect.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-scientists-rare-great-lakes-frozen-surfaces/
Wisconsin Water Library
https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/ice-oh-wonderful-ice/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ice-oh-wonderful-ice
A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state. The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years.
The post Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/10/lost-and-found-native-aquatic-plant-in-ohio/
EPA Releases New Memo Outlining Strategy to Equitably Deliver Clean Water Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON (March 8, 2022) EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)
– Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a memorandum to guide collaborative implementation with state, local, and Tribal partners of $43 billion in water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. President Biden, with bipartisan support from Congress, is providing the single largest investment in water the federal government has ever made. EPA’s memo is a key implementation step that outlines requirements and recommendations for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) to ensure the country is working together to deliver clean and safe water and replace lead pipes for all Americans, especially disadvantaged communities.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s investment in clean water is nothing short of transformational,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “EPA and its state, local, and Tribal partners have an obligation to work together and maximize the impact of these funds in communities, especially disadvantaged communities. Water is essential, and this action will help ensure that every American can rely on safe drinking water and have access to wastewater management that protects health and the environment.”
“Today’s action by the EPA is a great example of how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make a real difference in people’s lives by investing federal funds to create good-paying jobs and protect safe drinking water for our children and working families,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Recently, I signed an executive directive readying Michigan to use the incoming resources as effectively as possible, and I am proud to see that our federal partners are also prioritizing investments in underserved communities. I look forward to working with the EPA, the Michigan legislature, and anyone who wants to partner with us to replace lead service lines statewide and ensure every parent can give their kid a glass of water with confidence knowing that it is safe.”
Statement of Support – Jill Ryan, Executive Director, Freshwater Future
Petoskey, Michigan – “Freshwater Future is very supportive of the approach the U.S. EPA is taking to implement infrastructure funding from Congress by prioritizing that 49% of funds must go to disadvantaged communities, ensuring funds are available for technical assistance and addressing emerging contaminants, these will be effective steps to protect human health and address water concerns. We have seen the difficulties that city and rural communities across the Great Lakes region have faced to address water safety and contamination, and we believe these State Revolving Fund loans and grants are essential for updating water infrastructure and protecting public health in traditionally disadvantaged communities.”
Full text of the EPA news release can be found here.
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Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/call-to-action/epa-outlines-its-strategy-for-43-billion-in-water-infrastructure-funding-through-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-law/
By Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press
The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office indicated it might seek removal of a judge expected to preside over a criminal case in which he has ties to the defendant — the state’s biggest gas driller, which is charged with polluting residential water supplies in a community where residents famously were able to light their tap water on fire.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-judges-driller-pollution-case/
he Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced it will begin releasing rainbow trout in public lakes and ponds throughout the state, including in Northeast Ohio, on March 15. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-rainbow-trout
A deep-water hydrographic survey vessel from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will use multi-beam sonar to create 3D images of the Detroit River and Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-sonar-map
One target of the 2021 federal infrastructure package is a decades-long effort to remediate industrial contamination in five locations in Wisconsin where rivers and estuaries flow into the Great Lakes. Read the full story by PBS Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-wisconsin-cleanup
The Rouge River in metro Detroit, Michigan, is among the state’s environmental areas of concern that will receive significant funding for restoration projects. Read the full story by C&G Newspapers.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-restoration
University of Wisconsin researchers are seeing more and more salt in the Great Lakes — so much that the lakes’ ecosystems are starting to change. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-salty
A top infrastructure official from Macomb County in southeast Michigan is feuding with state environmental regulators over water protection, claiming the state is not doing enough to clean up sewage systems contaminated by pesticide runoff and drugs being flushed down drains and toilets. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-contaminated-water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says filters distributed by Michigan state and county health departments since 2018 to remove lead from tap water in Benton Harbor are working effectively. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-water-filters
A shipwreck dating back to the 1890s was discovered 650 feet below the surface of Lake Superior, 35 miles offshore from Deer Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-shipwreck
The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is attracting once rare bald eagles to the delight of bird watchers this winter. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-bald-eagles
After a two-and-a-half-year absence, cruise ships filled with tourists are set to return with a vengeance to the Great Lakes this spring. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-cruise-ships
The ice cover on the Great Lakes has reached its peak coverage for the winter and all of the Great Lakes spent some time with more ice than the long-term average for individual dates. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220309-ice-cover
DETROIT (AP) — A group of government, business and nonprofit organizations is looking at water infrastructure in southeastern Michigan.
The current condition and actions needed for sustainable water infrastructure systems is the focus of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Water Infrastructure Task Force.
The task force also will address flooding issues, project funding, equity, affordability and other topics.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-task-force-water-infrastructure-michigan/
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Budget a Mixed Bag on Great Lakes, Clean Water Priorities
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 9, 2022)—The federal budget released today for this year is a mixed bag as it pertains to programs to address urgent threats to drinking water and the Great Lakes that impact millions of people in the eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“Context matters, and it is important to consider this budget in relation to the full body of work undertaken by Congress this past year,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “On one hand, the recent bipartisan infrastructure bill has been a shot in the arm to clean water and Great Lakes priorities. It invests $50 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, funds an additional $1 billion in Great Lakes restoration efforts, and boosts the amount of money the federal government is allowed to spend over the next five years to meet clean water goals. The passage of that bill shows that Congress understands the severity of threats to our water resources and the need to do more. On the other hand, today’s budget does not fully fund the programs that will allow us to tackle the urgent problems that threaten our drinking water, public health, and Great Lakes—problems that will only get worse because of climate change. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition believes that at a time when millions of people are still grappling with unsafe water due to toxic pollution, sewage overflows, lead pipes, and other threats, Congress needs to fully fund programs that have been producing results in communities over the last several years.”
The federal budget released today:
In recent years, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, our members, and partners have pushed for significantly higher federal investments in clean water priorities to address the backlog of work needed to protect people from cancer-causing pollution, sewage overflows, inadequate drinking water systems, and higher water bills. The eight-state Great Lakes region needs at least $188 billion in water infrastructure repairs.
“Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes and to provide drinking water to our communities have been producing results—but serious threats remain,” said Rubin. “The decades-long disinvestment in our nation’s water infrastructure has left an enormous amount of work to do. We are grateful for the work over the past year by Congress to boost funding for important clean water and drinking water programs. It is important to not let up now.”
Congress has yet to complete a budget for the current fiscal year, which runs through Sept. 30, and has passed a series of short-term budgets. The current budget, if it passes, will fund the government through the year.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
The post Budget a Mixed Bag on Great Lakes, Clean Water Priorities appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/budget-a-mixed-bag-on-great-lakes-clean-water-priorities/
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
EPA Targets Historic Water Infrastructure Funding to Communities Most Impacted by Pollution
Coalition: Agency’s focus essential to protect drinking water, clean water, and public health of millions of people.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 8, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is applauding the EPA’s plan to collaborate with states, tribes and local officials to ensure that historic federal investments to fix drinking water and wastewater infrastructure reach communities most impacted by pollution. The plan, released today, provides guidance on how more than $40 billion in federal funding will be spent as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“For the millions of people across the country and in the Great Lakes region who still struggle with unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation services, this is welcome news,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We wholeheartedly support the EPA’s focus to tackle the biggest problems first in the communities most harmed by pollution as a way to protect the drinking water and public health of people in communities large and small. These investments are good for communities, clean water, and the Great Lakes. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration and the EPA to ensure the strong vision for these investments is realized so that we are helping the people who need it the most.”
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which invests almost $50 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and allows the federal government to boost funding for similar investments over the next five years. The law also contains $1 billion for Great Lakes restoration investments through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Read more information on the EPA guidance.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
The post EPA Targets Historic Water Infrastructure Funding to Communities Most Impacted by Pollution appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/epa-targets-historic-water-infrastructure-funding-to-communities-most-impacted-by-pollution/
DEER PARK, Mich. (AP) — A ship carrying a load of coal when it sank in a storm in 1891 has been discovered in Lake Superior off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The Atlanta is well-preserved in the extremely cold lake, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society said Thursday.
The shipwreck group posted photos and video with the name of the ship clearly visible at a depth of more than 600 feet (183 meters), roughly 35 miles (56 kilometers) off Deer Park, Michigan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-shipwreck-discovered-lake-superior/
Chicago, IL (March 08, 2022) – Earlier today, US EPA released new details on how money from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law should be used by states via the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs). In response, Alliance for the Great Lakes Vice President for Policy & Strategic Engagement Crystal M.C. Davis released the following statement:
“We applaud the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for directing states to invest nearly half of new water infrastructure funding in historically disadvantaged communities with their new memo on how money from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is to be used via the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs).
“The Great Lakes region is home to seven of the ten states with the greatest number of toxic lead pipes still in use, with Illinois, Ohio and Michigan at the top of the list. Historically, SRF money has not always reached communities with the most need. We hope that EPA’s new implementation memo will ensure that funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, particularly the $15 billion in dedicated funding for lead pipe removal, will be equitably deployed.
“Today’s memo — with its focus on ensuring increased investment in disadvantaged communities, the need for rapid progress on full lead service line replacement, and flexibility to address local water needs — is an important step in beginning to counteract historic environmental injustices. We look forward to continuing our work with the U.S. EPA and the states, which will implement these infrastructure investment programs to ensure all communities have equal access to clean, affordable drinking water.”
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Media Contact: Jennifer Caddick, jcaddick@acastlegreatlakes-org
The post Statement: Alliance Applauds US EPA Efforts to Ensure Water Infrastructure Funding Reaches Communities Most in Need appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/03/statement-alliance-applauds-us-epa-efforts-to-ensure-water-infrastructure-funding-reaches-communities-most-in-need/
