Residents in a pair of Kalamazoo County townships have been told not to drink their water. They join a growing list of communities where chemical used in Air Force bases, clothing and household items is threatening waterways in Michigan.
Michigan Environment Watch
Michigan Environment Watch examines how public policy, industry, and other factors interact with the state’s trove of natural resources.
Great Lakes News Collaborative
Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, The Narwhal and Michigan Public work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. You can find all of the collaborative’s stories here.
Shockwave
The Great Lakes region is in the midst of a seismic energy shakeup, from skyrocketing data center demand and a nuclear energy boom, to expanding renewables and electrification. In 2026, the Great Lakes News Collaborative will explore how shifting supply and demand affect the region and its waters. Read the series here.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Flooding, bacteria prompt mass beach closures throughout U.P., Michigan
A month after the catastrophic floods, advisories or closures remain in place at 17 beaches in Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula where high levels of bacteria have been detected.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
How Michiganders made Grand Traverse Bay beaches cleaner
Beach closures are a big deal near Traverse City, which thrives on tourism. So a nonprofit made it its mission to reduce them
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Michigan environment roundup: Endangered butterfly near extinct in Oakland County
This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
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Michigan to sue 3M as toxic PFAS chemicals taint waters
Gov. Rick Snyder has asked Attorney General Bill Schuette to sue 3M, accusing the chemical giant of continuing to sell toxic products despite knowing dangers.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Environmentalists outraged Michigan warning about PFAS went unheeded
A state bureaucrat first raised concerns about the toxic chemicals in 2012. They’re now a full-blown crisis. Did the state move too slow?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan enlists ‘Shop-Vac on steroids’ to fight toxic PFAS foam
Michigan environmental regulators have hatched a novel plan to get vacuum of toxic foam bubbling up in Oscoda and other PFAS-tainted communities. Will it work? Nobody’s sure.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Map | Find PFAS threats to drinking water in Michigan
A chemical used in Air Force bases, clothing and household items is threatening waterways in Michigan. Use this map to find out where.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
How the EPA and the Pentagon downplayed a growing toxic PFAS threat
A family of chemicals — known as PFAS and responsible for marvels like Teflon and critical to the safety of American military bases — has now emerged as a far greater menace than previously disclosed.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Emails cast doubt about Michigan’s ties to Enbridge in Line 5 debate
As a deadline looms for Gov. Snyder to decide the future of a pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, he has touted efforts to weigh the issue transparently and independently. But his administration has given Enbridge Energy plenty of avenues to influence the debate.