Pharmaceuticals, microplastics, PFAS and ingredients found in personal care products are among the emerging — and sometimes unmonitored — contaminants in the Great Lakes region.
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
Swim at your own risk: High E. coli count closes nine Michigan beaches
Nine beaches in Michigan are closed and under contamination advisories after heavy rainfall washes in harmful bacteria.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan schools receive $24 million to buy electric buses
Twenty-eight Michigan school districts received a combined $24 million in federal rebates to purchase electric buses. It’s the latest in a series of federal awards to eliminate aging diesel buses.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Trash into treasure: Rethinking waste in Michigan college towns
College-town organizations are finding creative ways to use students’ unwanted items to give back to the community — and keep waste out of landfills while they’re at it.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Birds in Great Lakes, elsewhere in peril: ‘We need to pay attention’
Bird populations are declining at alarming rates due to disease, pollution and habitat loss. That should be a warning to all of us.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In warming Great Lakes region, water, heat can be an unhealthy combination
From mosquitoes to sewer overflows, the heat and moisture of a changing climate are creating new health threats in the Great Lakes region, prompting a call to educate residents and doctors about the risks.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lake Michigan beach goes high-tech to curb drownings from rip tides
A new electronic beach safety system at Grand Haven State Park automatically calls 911 in an emergency. It’s the latest attempt to prevent Great Lakes drownings that claim dozens of lives each year.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Return of bald eagles to the Great Lakes could hold lessons for humans
The pesticide DDT nearly wiped out North America’s bald eagles. Communities, scientists and politicians worked hard to bring this symbolic bird back from the brink. Efforts to save the species hold lessons for other environmental challenges.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Toxic Great Lakes algae makes Michigan sick. But remedy may be near
Growing concern over health risks posed by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie prompts scientists to study a potential treatment found in an unlikely place: the lake.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Smoky skies that hurt lungs in Michigan in '23 likely to become more common
People in the Great Lakes region are unprepared for smoke from forest fires worsened by intense drought and heat.
