Eight rural communities in Michigan are getting help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fix water infrastructure problems like sewage contamination, aging pipes, and flooding. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
A record amount of federal aid will soon flow to states to help fix, replace or demolish their aging dams. Midwestern states are largely missing out on that historic pool of money when compared to other U.S. regions. Read the full story by Inside Climate News.
The Illinois governor along with state and local officials celebrated the completion of a $73 million project to preserve the rapidly eroding shoreline at the Illinois Beach State Park near Zion, Illinois. The investment preserves several miles of natural Lake Michigan shoreline. Read the full story by the Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
Illinois’ Oswego Village Board recently authorized the approval of four agreements to formally join the DuPage Water Commission as part of the process to switch to Lake Michigan as the source for the village’s drinking water in the future. Read the full story by The Chicago Tribune.
Researchers have revealed the Great Lakes’ 10 worst aquatic invasive species, spotlighting the plants and animals that pose the greatest threat to the region’s delicate ecosystems, fisheries, and recreational waters. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
It’s been two months since the initial sighting of the Lake Erie alligator. Could the alligator have found its way into the sewer system and, if so, what are its chances of surviving? Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
A recent study found the total amount of money spent on fishing gear, transportation and food doesn’t truly reflect the worth of a fishing trip to Great Lakes anglers, with anglers willing to spend $100 more than the actual cost. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
A new drone technology is set to make big waves in Pollution Probe’s mission to clean the Great Lakes of plastic waste and it’s starting in Ontario’s Lake Simcoe. Read the full story by Global News.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mussel Watch program is collecting zebra and quagga mussels at sites across the Great Lakes to measure the concentration of harmful pollutants in their tissue. A report will serve to identify areas with high levels of harmful chemicals. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission will be hosting a screening of the award-winning documentary The Fish Thief: A Great Lakes Mystery at 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Michigan’s Cheboygan Opera House. The Fish Thief tells the true story of the fight to save the Great Lakes fishery from one of the most destructive invasive species: the sea lamprey. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Dozens of juvenile lake sturgeon with transmitters implanted into them were released into Ohio’s Cuyahoga River on Wednesday. The release of the surgeon into the water is a pilot project for a larger goal of reintroducing the endangered fish into the waterway. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Lake Superior is known for its pristine waters, but a combination of nutrient additions from increasing human activity (including farming and development), warming temperatures and stormy conditions have resulted in more frequent blooms of potentially harmful algae. Read the full story by The Conversation.