Large chunks of ice have rammed into homes along Michigan’s Black Lake in the northeastern Lower Peninsula as constant spring rainfall and winter melt have flooded homes and threatened to overflow stressed dam systems.
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
Supreme Court sides with Nessel in Line 5 jurisdiction dispute
Enbridge had sought to move Nessel’s Line 5 shutdown case into federal court, where the company was expected to get more favorable treatment. But justices unanimously ruled that the company missed the deadline to do so.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan flood watch: Whitmer declares emergencies in Iron, Marquette counties
Flood warnings remain in effect, but, statewide, rivers have crested and little rain is forecast.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Bridge wants to hear from you about Michigan rivers
Bridge Michigan is launching a series of stories focused on Michigan’s rivers and we want to ensure our reporting reflects the people who use, study and protect Michigan’s rivers.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Flooding has Michigan ‘in crisis mode now,’ Gretchen Whitmer says
The governor visited Cheboygan, where waters were rising behind a downtown dam. One state senator called Michigan flooding a ‘slow-motion disaster that’s still unfolding.’
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Floods, tornadoes, rains ravage Michigan: ‘My hot tub was floating away’
Amid fears of dam collapses, roads wash away, tornadoes touch down and emergency crews try to protect life and property throughout Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
More storms expected in Michigan after multiple tornadoes
Officials are predicting more extreme weather in Michigan this week after floods and confirmed tornadoes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
As floodwaters rise, Michigan infrastructure on brink: Dams need $1B in repairs
Climate change and delayed improvements to the state’s infrastructure could come to roost, as rivers threaten to overtop century-old dams.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Ownership disputes, aging design add to Cheboygan dam’s failure threat
Federal officials have repeatedly told the owner of a nonfunctioning hydro plant connected to the dam to bring it back online, but the company has not done so. Now, state officials are scrambling to restart the plant in hopes of staving off dam failure.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Listen: Scientists work to reintroduce whitefish to Michigan’s rivers
Interlochen Public Radio joined scientists as they worked to reintroduce whitefish to the Jordan River.
