While the fall 2018 elections in the United States changed the make-up of both legislative and administrative bodies in Great Lakes states, those changes in representation don’t begin until part way through 2019. In the meantime, some of the sitting “lame ducks” are acting to limit the powers of incoming officials and removing protections for water.The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is bringing much optimism to the region, and recently scored another big win for the State of Michigan! Recently, the EPA announced the cleanup of the former Zephyr Oil Refinery site, a project totalling $16 million dollars. Toxic chemicals, blight, and various sediments were removed from the site. Placing of new soil and seeding, tree and flower planting are just some of the efforts by the state to restore natural wildlife habitats back to the location.More
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced a deal with Enbridge, a Canadian multinational energy transportation company, to construct a new pipeline encased in a protective tunnel. Concerns have grown over the last few years over the safety of the pipeline, with many calling for the line to be shut down. It is our understanding that construction of the tunnel will take 7-10 years and during this time oil and gas will continue to flow through the 65-year old pipeline. Despite improved safety measures included to protect against leakage and potential disaster, environmental groups still raise doubts. Read more.
The Great Lakes Compact is an agreement among Great Lake states and Canadian provinces that governs and oversees how water from the Great Lakes can be used – in particular, how states and provinces can withdraw or divert water from the lakes. Changes are being proposed to the decision-making process under the compact, which would impact how the agreement is implemented and therefore how effective it is. We have serious concerns about the proposal, and we need your help.More
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) recently announced that concerned citizens and organizations can directly invest in improving and protecting water quality in Lake Erie through the Erie P Market project. For each credit purchased through the market, one pound of phosphorus will be prevented from entering the lake. Phosphorus runoff into the Great Lakes contributes to the formation of harmful algal blooms and dead zones and can threaten drinking water for millions of residents.More
The adorable pet-friendly Goldfish most Americans are familiar with have found a new home, Lake Ontario. Roughly 40-50 million Goldfish are estimated to inhabit Lake Ontario, growing concerns that the fish are now harming the ecosystem. In recent years, the number of Goldfish living in freshwater have been doubling and tripling. Last year, goldfish began raising concerns as ponds in St. Albert, Ontario were found to have Goldfish in abundant numbers, forcing the City of St. Albert to kill as many of the fish as possible.More
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The Great Lakes now have a total of 180 documented foreign species now that scientists have observed two new exotic species, both about the size of a flea. They both have been found in low abundance, and scientists have no evidence so far of serious negative side-effects on native zooplankton species. For that reason, they are not yet being referred to as “invasive,” a term which is typically reserved for species with negative impact. These are the third and fourth non-native zooplankton species discovered in the Great Lakes in the past three years.More
After all Flint has endured, we know too many residents still feel that they don’t have a trustworthy source of information about the safety of their tap water. That’s why Freshwater Future has partnered with local organizations to launch the Youth Water Testing Program. We train local teens on proper sample collection methods and transport them throughout the city to collect tap water samples for testing.More
Michigan Residents: Tell Governor Snyder to VETO H.B. 5095 and Save Invasive Species Protections
Michigan House Bill 5095 eliminates the state’s strict ballast water standards that protect Great Lakes waterways from new and troublesome invasive species. Since an estimated 55-70% of invasives species in the Great Lakes have come from contaminated ballast water, maintaining these stringent rules is a must. If you’re a Michigan resident, tell the Governor to reject H.B. 5095.More
