As climate change increasingly shapes the Great Lakes region’s ecology and economy, scientists plan to use underwater robots to gather previously inaccessible data they say will help communities adapt.
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.
Water’s True Cost
As the nation prepares to pour hundreds of billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan. Read the series.
Ready or Not
The Great Lakes region is frequently touted as one of the most climate-resilient places in the U.S., in part because of its enviable water resources. But climate change also threatens our water. The Great Lakes News Collaborative explores what it will take to prepare. Read the series.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan’s PFAS drinking-water limits hang in balance of Supreme Court case
Michigan was hailed as a national leader when it set PFAS drinking water limits in 2020. Now, chemical company 3M wants the limits voided.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Up to 3.2M in Michigan may be getting water from PFAS-tainted aquifers
With lots of domestic well users and plenty of polluting industries, Michiganders are among the nation’s most likely to have ‘forever chemicals’ in their well water, according to a landmark federal study.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Great Lakes’ water levels dropping, but still just about average
Water levels in the Great Lakes drop as the region experiences drier conditions due to a lack of precipitation.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Mussels, alewives lead list of 10 worst invasive species in Great Lakes
Researchers have identified the plants and animals that pose the greatest threat to the Great Lakes’ region’s delicate ecosystems, fisheries and recreational waters. Leading the list are zebra mussels, followed by quagga mussels.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan a top winner of climate funds Trump wants to revoke
If elected, Trump has vowed to revoke unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, a climate spending law that has heavily benefitted Michigan governments and industry. But experts say it wouldn’t be easy.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
A decade after Flint, feds require nationwide lead pipe removal
A rule finalized Tuesday gives water providers across the country 10 years to get lead pipes out of their drinking water systems.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Battle brews in Michigan over waste from 'biodigesters' that slow-cook manure
A court ruling gave Michigan regulators authority to ramp up controls on factory-farm waste that pollutes waterways. Legislators have proposed exemptions for waste produced by ‘biodigesters,’ which capture methane for electricity and transportation fuels.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Feds finalize $1.5B for Palisades; Michigan nuclear plant restart seems likely
The plant along Lake Michigan is 53 years-old and closed in 2022. But there’s momentum to bring it back online amid a push to diversify national energy sources.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan judge halts Manhattan Project radioactive waste from landfill
A Wayne County judge has temporarily blocked shipments of waste to a landfill in southeast Michigan.