Judicial oversight is not a panacea to addressing Lake Erie pollution, but judges should exercise their authority to enforce the implementation of a Lake Erie clean-up plan required under the Clean Water Act. Read the full editorial by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-judges
The novel coronavirus pandemic has drawn attention to the consequences of insufficient water access, air pollution and the role of federal oversight in protecting the basic right to clean water. Read the full story by WDET – Radio – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-water-is-a-human-right
As spring returns and birds migrate north, bird enthusiasts in Chicago are hoping a locally famous pair of piping plovers returns to Lake Michigan. As the coronavirus shuts down activity along Chicago’s beaches, bird enthusiasts hope that the new quiet help birds like the piping plover safely nest and hatch their eggs. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-plovers
Stay-out-home orders and restrictions on “non-essential” businesses have left Ohio’s fishing and tourism industry floundering. The halt in manufacturing across the region has also beached cargo shipping along the lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-fish-n-freight
Coronavirus restrictions have scuttled boating in Chicago, leaving charter boat operators and sightseeing cruises with no source of income. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-charter-boats
While less flooding is expected this year, Canadian mayors along Lake Ontario are continuing to implement coastal resiliency strategies to protect their communities from further flooding and erosion. Read the full story by the Belleville Intelligencer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-mayors
At a recent public hearing, community environmental groups urged the Northern Indiana Public Service Company to protect public health and fully remediate the areas currently used as a coal ash pond near a power generation facility in Northwest Indiana. Read the full story by the Indiana Environmental Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-nipsco
To reach the Atlantic Ocean from Lake Erie through Canada, freight vessels must traverse a series of locks, known as Neptune’s Staircase, that drop 100 meters down the Niagara Escarpment. Read the full story by the Niagara Falls Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200430-locks
Wisconsin Sea Grant’s outreach specialists are used to traversing the state, sharing information of relevance directly with impacted communities. In this year marked by a global pandemic, however, it hasn’t been so easy—yet staff are finding ways to get the job done.
In mid-March, Coastal Engineering Outreach Specialist Adam Bechle had planned, along with a variety of partners, to deliver three nights of back-to-back information on high Great Lakes water levels in three Lake Michigan coastal communities: Manitowoc, Somers and Mequon. Yet, due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, those in-person sessions were replaced by a single online one on March 18.
The Zoom session featured Bechle along with speakers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—Detroit District, National Weather Service Forecast Office in Milwaukee/Sullivan and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and local governments also played a role in putting the session together. About 112 participants watched it live.
The archived, two-hour webinar may be viewed on Wisconsin Sea Grant’s YouTube channel. “People in our Lake Michigan coastal communities have been hungry for information about what’s in store for water levels and what options they may have for dealing with some of the negative impacts,” said Bechle. “If people missed the live webinar, they can still get this information online, where they can hear directly from a variety of experts all in one place.”
Topics covered include forecasts for water levels through the summer, emergency management activities being undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers, the local impacts of recent storms, how coastal processes in the water affect what’s happening on land, and the permitting process for constructing erosion control structures.
Listen and watch on YouTube.
Further questions may be directed to Bechle at bechle@aqua.wisc.edu.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/whats-in-store-for-great-lakes-water-levels-find-out-online/
The contested case of the Icebreaker Wind Farm has implications for renewable energy in the region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/rust-resilience-lake-erie-wind-farm/
An administrative law judge ruled this week in favor of Nestle in the long-running dispute over whether the company would be allowed to increase its withdrawals of groundwater to support its water bottling operation in Michigan.
Grassroots activists challenged the 2018 decision by Michigan’s then Department of Environmental Quality under former Gov.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/nestle-prevails-law-judge-sides-with-water-bottler-in-water-withdrawal-case/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F47759AF0.LakeshoreFloodAdvisory.125F477716A0WI.GRBCFWGRB.b8a68855e44539b61ff4566a143afb89
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/04/30/composting-fabric-fights-climate-change/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F47746590.LakeshoreFloodAdvisory.125F477716A0WI.GRBCFWGRB.5dd93ab92f304558e3e36091db73741a
Warmer waters, heavier storms and nutrient pollution are a triple threat to Great Lakes cities' drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/rust-resilience-climate-change-drinking-water-quality/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F476828C0.FloodWarning.125F47745780WI.GRBFLSGRB.ff4f8fec920d4e0989540bf53f75ddc7
The River Talk series is changing format for the final talk for this academic year. At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, via Zoom, Sam Hansen, former undergraduate research fellow with the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, will present, “Deterring Geese on the St. Louis River to Protect Wild Rice.”
Northern wild rice, native to the St. Louis River, was once abundant. Today, it is threatened by high water levels and increased feeding pressure by Canada geese. Hansen will describe his project to determine if low-impact kayaking in wild rice bays could reduce the abundance of geese.
Registration is required to attend:
https://uwextension.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0od-ihqDIvEtQfz-vWF3bPtsPAIdk-ULYW
Registration will help keep the event safe and prevent unauthorized access. After registration, attendees will receive an e-mail with the link and a unique password to join the meeting. To attend a Zoom meeting, participants can access the meeting on the web and do not need to download the program to a personal device.
Hansen’s talk will be recorded and posted afterward on the Reserve’s Facebook page. A summary will also be posted on Wisconsin Sea Grant’s blog.
River Talks are sponsored by The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs.
For more information, visit go.wisc.edu/4uz720.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/deterring-geese-on-the-st-louis-river-to-protect-wild-rice/
Ann Arbor, Mich. – In a letter sent yesterday, the Great Lakes Commission called on Congressional appropriators to include critical Great Lakes investments in any economic stimulus response to the coronavirus pandemic. The investments include modernizing outdated water infrastructure to protect drinking water and public health, fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to clean up pollution across the region and supporting programs that help prevent harmful algal blooms and bolster producers and the Basin’s farm economy.
“With nearly one-third of U.S. and Canadian economies centered around the Great Lakes Basin, revitalizing the Great Lakes economy will accelerate and stabilize our national recovery,” the letter reads. “Congress has been a vital partner in efforts to maximize the Great Lakes as an environmental and economic asset for the region, the nation and North America. These investments will address important priorities while quickly stimulating economic activity in hard-hit communities.”
The investments reflect longstanding Great Lakes Commission priorities for strengthening the economic and environmental health of the eight-state region. They are aligned with the Commission’s Great Lakes 2020: Vision for a Healthy and Resilient Great Lakes Basin.
The Great Lakes Commission convenes the states and provinces—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec and Wisconsin—to speak collectively for a healthy, vibrant Great Lakes Basin. Established by the Great Lakes Basin Compact and authorized by Congress, the Commission promotes, plans for, and invests in the use, development and conservation of the Great Lakes Basin.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/stimulus-042920
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4767BCF0.LakeshoreFloodWarning.125F4774CCB0WI.GRBCFWGRB.7325ca9c43dcbc9df98ebf933eabbb53
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4767B390.WindAdvisory.125F47745780WI.GRBNPWGRB.059f4ee49c14463e3ca0f468f55bd66c
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F476796A8.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F4767DA3CWI.GRBSPSGRB.f0c86258ac7920942c65ca09d35217ad
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F47678BB8.FloodWarning.125F47684DDCWI.GRBFLWGRB.ff4f8fec920d4e0989540bf53f75ddc7
A cruise ship visit to Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Little Current scheduled for early June has been scrubbed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-great-lakes-cruise
A group by the name of “Boatnerds” are using a phone app to track the ships making their way to Buffalo, New York. Read the full story by Buffalo Rising.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-boatnerds
New York Sea Grant’s Great Lakes program is now offering free virtual site visits to waterfront property owners in need of erosion management expertise. Read the full story by the Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-virtual-management
Some of the big players in the marine shipping industry have now agreed to something called a COVID-19 Trusted Partners Initiative, created by the Chamber of Marine Commerce. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-freighters
On Tuesday night people had the chance to ask questions about high water levels in Michigan and shoreline erosion problems. Read the full story by WPBN -TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-egle-summit
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is approving an application that gives the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community authority to set water quality standards for its reservation in Michigan. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-KBIC
A state administrative judge has upheld a permit that allows global food and beverage giant Nestle to boost the amount of Michigan groundwater it extracts for sale under the Ice Mountain bottled water brand. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-nestle
The city council of Flint, MI has postponed reconsidering two critical water infrastructure projects until May 11. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-flint
As lake levels sit six inches higher than they were at this time last year, City of Windsor officials are reminding residents to be prepared and stay informed. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-flood-season
The port of Thunder Bay has seen a noticeable uptick in ocean-going vessel traffic this season so far. Tim Heney, chief executive officer for the Port of Thunder Bay, said that restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic are not really slowing things down. Read the full story by the Chronicle Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-thunder-bay
In a statement late Tuesday afternoon, the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board declared water levels “are expected to peak well below the record-highs of 2017 and 2019. Read the full story by WWNY – TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200429-water-levels
Lake Erie fishing charters reel from stay at home orders, and lake freighters idle due to industry shutdowns.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/covid-19-coronavirus-fishing-freighters-great-lakes-industries/
Perched on the western shore of the world’s greatest lake, an inland port city offers lessons for resilience in uncertain times.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/rust-resilience-climate-change-duluth/
April 29, 2020
By Jennifer A. Smith
Now in its fifth year, the annual Water@UW-Madison symposium has become a vital event that gives attendees a chance to hear about a broad swath of cutting-edge water research and outreach. With many short sessions, it’s one of the fastest and most informative ways to learn about the state of Wisconsin’s water and what’s being done to protect this critical resource.
This year, like most other conferences in the era of COVID-19, Water@UW-Madison is going virtual. The online event will take place Tuesday, May 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “Working Together to Address Water Challenges: UW-Madison and State Government.”
Attendees can participate via Zoom or, if they prefer, by watching the Water@UW-Madison YouTube channel. One need not be affiliated with the university to participate. Currently, over 250 people have registered for the Zoom sessions.
Said David Koser, a project assistant at the UW-Madison Aquatic Sciences Center (home to Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Water Resources Institute), “The symposium is going to be informative and a lot of fun. UW-Madison’s partnerships and collaborations with state government are key to the health and well-being of the people of Wisconsin. Our speakers will have great material to share, and we hope that this event will show the strength of our existing relationships as well as help build new ones.” Koser helps coordinate this signature event.
Numerous Aquatic Sciences Center staff are involved in this year’s event. Director Jim Hurley and Associate Director Jen Hauxwell will both present sessions, and Hauxwell is chair-elect for the Water@UW-Madison group. During intermissions, virtual attendees will see water-related artwork chosen by Anne Moser, senior special librarian for the Wisconsin Water Library.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will welcome attendees, and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes has provided a video introduction. There will be an in-depth presentation by Rep. Todd Novak and Rep. Katrina Shankland of the Wisconsin State Assembly. These two legislators lead the Speaker’s Water Quality Task Force.
For complete information, including an agenda, visit https://water.wisc.edu/2020springsymposium/.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/asc-plays-key-role-in-water-symposium/
Now in its fifth year, the annual Water@UW-Madison symposium has become a vital event that gives attendees a chance to hear about a broad swath of cutting-edge water research and outreach. With many short sessions, it’s one of the fastest and most informative ways to learn about the state of Wisconsin’s water and what’s being done to protect this critical resource.
The online symposium will be held Tuesday, May 5. (Photo illustration: Water@UW-Madison)
This year, like most other conferences in the era of COVID-19, Water@UW-Madison is going virtual. The online event will take place Tuesday, May 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “Working Together to Address Water Challenges: UW-Madison and State Government.”
Attendees can participate via Zoom or, if they prefer, by watching the Water@UW-Madison YouTube channel. One need not be affiliated with the university to participate. Currently, over 250 people have registered for the Zoom sessions.
Said David Koser, a project assistant at the UW-Madison Aquatic Sciences Center (home to Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Water Resources Institute), “The symposium is going to be informative and a lot of fun. UW-Madison’s partnerships and collaborations with state government are key to the health and well-being of the people of Wisconsin. Our speakers will have great material to share, and we hope that this event will show the strength of our existing relationships as well as help build new ones.” Koser helps coordinate this signature event.
Numerous Aquatic Sciences Center staff are involved in this year’s event. Director Jim Hurley and Associate Director Jen Hauxwell will both present sessions, and Hauxwell is chair-elect for the Water@UW-Madison group. During intermissions, virtual attendees will see water-related artwork chosen by Anne Moser, senior special librarian for the Wisconsin Water Library.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will welcome attendees, and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes has provided a video introduction. There will be an in-depth presentation by Rep. Todd Novak and Rep. Katrina Shankland of the Wisconsin State Assembly. These two legislators lead the Speaker’s Water Quality Task Force.
For complete information, including an agenda, visit https://water.wisc.edu/2020springsymposium/.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/aquatic-sciences-center-plays-key-role-in-wateruw-madison-symposium/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F47669E9C.LakeshoreFloodWarning.125F4774CCB0WI.GRBCFWGRB.7325ca9c43dcbc9df98ebf933eabbb53
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F47660194.LakeshoreFloodWarning.125F4774CCB0WI.GRBCFWGRB.7325ca9c43dcbc9df98ebf933eabbb53
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F47658F20.LakeshoreFloodAdvisory.125F4774CCB0WI.GRBCFWGRB.49d956832c848f17554d12768426aa2c
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F4758EA68.LakeshoreFloodAdvisory.125F4774CCB0WI.GRBCFWGRB.49d956832c848f17554d12768426aa2c
The potential solutions to address longtime flooding and erosion issues along a problematic 120-kilometre stretch of Lake Erie shoreline in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, could top $217 million, but no commitments have been made. Read the full story by The Chatham Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-lake-erie-erosion
A “sheen” spotted on Lake Michigan off Washington Park in Indiana is likely gasoline that spilled from a small boat, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Read the full story by The La Porte County Herald-Argus.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-lake-michigan-sheen
A big storm can overwhelm the combined sewage and stormwater runoff treatment facilities of many Great Lakes cities. When that happens, untreated water ends up in the lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-single-sewer-system
One month ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would ease up on enforcing some of the more routine procedural violations of pollution laws. But the Chicago-based Environmental Policy & Law Center said it has crunched data and documented declines in enforcement of Clean Water Act violations across the Great Lakes region for several years now. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-epa-enforcement
Victory Cruise Lines, the predominant operator in the Great Lakes cruise market, has canceled more than half its sailings this summer, and pulled one of its ships from the region. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-great-lakes-cruising
The number of bald eagle nests in Ohio has skyrocketed 151% over the last eight years, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by The Daily Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-eagle-numbers-up
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a change that removes the legal foundation for regulations on mercury and other toxins emitted from coal- and oil-fired power plants. The change, some experts worry, might set a precedent for rolling back pollution standards that have improved air quality in the Great Lakes area. Read the full story by the Indy Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-mercury-standards
The Valley Camp, a historic ship docked in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has been swaying back and forth due to water levels and ship traffic. It the first movement of the freighter in 50 years. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200428-freighters-and-high-water
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F47582010.LakeshoreFloodAdvisory.125F4774CCB0WI.GRBCFWGRB.49d956832c848f17554d12768426aa2c
