Thanks to the Clean Water Act, the Rouge is no longer a dumping ground for industrial waste. But its gains are fragile and incomplete, with contaminants still soiling the river bottom and the fish that returned to its waters.
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
Frogs, salamanders, fairy shrimp usher in spring at Michigan vernal pools
Some call it prom night for amphibians: When warm rain falls in early spring, Michigan’s normally-elusive salamanders and other species gather at ephemeral wetlands to dance in the dark, looking for a mate.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Multi-million dollar restoration projects proposed for the Saginaw Bay watershed; paid with settlement money from corporate polluters
A new phase of restoration along polluted areas stretching from Midland to Saginaw to Bay City and beyond is up for public scrutiny.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Report: MI and OH must spend hundreds of millions more annually to curb toxic blooms in Lake Erie
A new report suggests Michigan and Ohio will fail to reduce nutrient runoff by 40 percent as agreed upon.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
For Ann Arbor water managers, ongoing battle to keep toxic chemicals at bay
Outdated federal water laws and chemicals that were approved for industry without assessing for risk leave Ann Arbor and other communities struggling to ward off water contaminants before they foul drinking supplies.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Right to water: Could 2023 be the year Michigan ends shutoffs?
Some Democratic lawmakers see a bill to declare a human right to water as a first step toward broader efforts to end the water shutoffs that plague low-income Michiganders.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Road salt, a stealthy pollutant, is damaging Michigan waters
Rivers and lakes are becoming saltier while law and practice limit effective responses.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Report aims to prepare Great Lakes states for effects of climate change
Climate change is already affecting the Great Lakes. One group is urging Michigan, other Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to coordinate efforts to make the Great Lakes basin more resilient to those changes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Join Bridge, Circle of Blue to discuss Michigan lawmakers’ water priorities
On Jan. 25, Bridge Michigan environment reporter Kelly House will moderate a Zoom discussion about the priorities for water in the 2023 Michigan Legislature.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Uncertainty for Michigan rivers, residents as Consumers reconsiders its 13 dams
The century-old dams are expensive to maintain, generate little energy and are generally harmful to rivers and native fish. But their reservoirs bring boaters, visitors and lake houses that help support small communities.