It seemed like a good deal: The city offered free replacement of lead water lines to residents. But mistrust of the government, particularly in immigrant communities, and unclear messaging has made the operation a hard sell.
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
Can Michigan become a climate haven? Duluth is already planning.
The Minnesota city on Lake Superior is earning a reputation as a future destination for climate migrants. Experts say the entire Great Lakes region is primed for an influx, prompting questions on how to prepare for coming change.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Offshore wind could provide double the electricity Michiganders used in 2019
Michigan’s more than 3,000 miles of coast could provide double the electricity residents used from all sources in 2019, according to a recent report.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan’s climate-ready future: wetland parks, less cement, roomy shores
What does Michigan’s future look like if we adequately prepare the state’s water resources for climate change? Goodbye to septics and shore-hugging homes. Hello to more diversified crops on Michigan farms.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Water wars: Should Michigan worry about water diverted from Great Lakes?
Only a few small communities in the Great Lakes Basin have sought water diversions. But with climate change, some fear that increasingly parched swaths of the U.S. will seek access to the fresh water that surrounds us.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
On eve of Line 5 shutdown deadline, Enbridge vows to defy Michigan order
The Canadian petroleum company technically has until Wednesday night to stop piping oil through the Straits of Mackinac, according to the state of Michigan. But what happens if the company refuses to abide by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Scientists find more complexity in microplastics polluting the Great Lakes
New research suggests that microplastics act like a chemical sponge, soaking up contaminants such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals. Those chemicals, in turn, appear to be causing deformities in larval fish.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In Michigan, flooding from climate change reveals economic inequity
Experts say disasters reveal “two different stories,” as poor communities struggle to rebuild, while richer neighbors can afford to fix damages.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Is the Line 5 tunnel a bridge to Michigan’s energy future or a bad deal?
With climate action on the state and national agenda, critics of Enbridge Line 5 warn that investing in new pipeline infrastructure undermines Michigan’s pathway to carbon neutrality. Experts say it’s not so simple.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In flooded Michigan neighborhoods, who should pay for sea walls?
For two straight summers, residents of Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood watched water pour into basements and pool in streets, a result of coastal flooding that will become increasingly common throughout the Great Lakes as climate change progresses.