Cleaning sites like the Detroit River and Saginaw Bay is a priority for spending new funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Advocates say the money is a good start but much more is needed.
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
High costs, few customers: Benton Harbor water woes loom for Michigan cities
The southwest Michigan city’s water system faces huge problems, from lead pipes and delayed maintenance to a shrinking population. Those issues could be coming to a Michigan city near you.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Rising cost of water in Michigan leads to affordability problems
A growing number of Michigan households are burdened by high water bills, report finds.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Ignore the buzz, here’s why Enbridge Line 5 won’t likely close anytime soon
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered Line 5 closed a year ago, citing safety concerns. The Biden administration is now involved. But chances of an imminent shutdown appear slim. We lay out some of the hurdles.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Climate change grips trout streams across the nation: How anglers are responding
Across the country, anglers have watched as droughts, floods and high temperatures batter the rivers they depend on, including Michigan’s Au Sable. Now, they’re calling for swift action.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Nuclear Question: Debate continues over long-term storage of nuclear waste in the Great Lakes
Canada’s plan to store spent nuclear fuel 1,600 feet below ground in the Great Lakes basin, some 30 miles from Lake Huron, is continuing to ruffle feathers throughout the Great Lake states.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
As Michigan lawmakers ponder septic repair funds, Ohio offers a model
Unlike Michigan, the buckeye state regulates septic systems and provides money to fix the ones leaking sewage into waterways. Could such a program in Michigan address the pollution that fouls our lakes and streams?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
As drought grips American West, irrigation becomes a Michigan selling point
Michigan farmers irrigate with 187 billion gallons of groundwater a year, double what was used a decade earlier. Is the state prepared for more?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lake Superior summer: Blue-green algae comes to a lake once believed immune
Once thought too cold for cyanobacteria to grow, Lake Superior in recent years has joined the other Great Lakes as a breeding ground for potentially-toxic algae as a changing climate warms its waters.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Should Michigan, other states let nature clean up oil spills?
Natural populations of oil-degrading bacteria could help to clean up freshwater rivers and lakes after spills from pipelines and trains, but it’s not clear whether using bacteria could pose problems for the surrounding environment.