Water Quality and Restoration Efforts Archives | Great Lakes Now https://www.greatlakesnow.org/category/water-quality-and-restoration-efforts/ Great Lakes Now shares stories about the unique culture and history of the Great Lakes basin Fri, 16 May 2025 16:35:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/cropped-gln-avatar-32x32.jpg Water Quality and Restoration Efforts Archives | Great Lakes Now https://www.greatlakesnow.org/category/water-quality-and-restoration-efforts/ 32 32 EPA Outlines New PFAS Strategy Amid Expert Concerns https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/epa-outlines-new-pfas-strategy-amid-expert-concerns/ Wed, 14 May 2025 17:56:57 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=42525 EPA Outlines New PFAS Strategy Amid Expert Concerns

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

On May 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their plan to roll back significant portions of the Biden administration’s first nationwide drinking water standard for PFAS.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
An $80M cleanup made Muskegon Lake trendy. Will ‘eco-gentrification’ follow? https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/an-80m-cleanup-made-muskegon-lake-trendy-will-eco-gentrification-follow/ Wed, 14 May 2025 15:24:55 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=42499 An $80M cleanup made Muskegon Lake trendy. Will ‘eco-gentrification’ follow?

New luxury homes, yacht slips, and trendy hotels and restaurants are cropping up along the glittering waterfront of this west Michigan city.

Nothing unusual for the Lake Michigan coast, long known for beach towns that cater to summer vacationers and wealthy second-homers. But to those familiar with Muskegon’s blue collar history, it’s a stunning transformation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
Water determines Great Lakes region’s economic future https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/water-determines-great-lakes-regions-economic-future/ Mon, 12 May 2025 17:44:52 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=42425 Water determines Great Lakes region’s economic future

Livelihoods and economies in the Great Lakes region always centered on water. From the manoomin, or wild rice, grown and revered by the Ojibwe people to the whitefish catch in Lake Michigan, to the water-dependent ports, steel mills, and manufacturers that dot thousands of miles of Fresh Coast lakeshore. The area’s liquid assets and the industries that developed around them form a “blue economy.”

The treasure trove of clean fresh water is seen as a competitive edge in a region hungry for growth and whose leaders boast about exporting the scientific breakthroughs and infrastructure hardware to solve the world’s water challenges.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It. https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/millions-of-people-depend-on-the-great-lakes-water-supply-trump-decimated-the-lab-protecting-it/ Tue, 06 May 2025 19:02:17 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=42340 Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.

By Anna Clark, ProPublica

This story was originally published by ProPublica.

Just one year ago, JD Vance was a leading advocate of the Great Lakes and the efforts to restore the largest system of freshwater on the face of the planet.

As a U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
Chequamegon Bay Superfund site: History, environmental impact and its importance to Indigenous communities https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/chequamegon-bay-superfund-site-history-impact-importance-to-indigenous-communities/ Mon, 28 Apr 2025 18:35:39 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=42232 Chequamegon Bay Superfund site: History, environmental impact and its importance to Indigenous communities

Chequamegon Bay plays a significant role in our human lives, including past residents like the Huron and Ottawa; and current residents, the Ojibwe-Anishinaabeg, who have gathered and made history there for a millennia. An oblong, shallow bay (61 feet at the deepest point), on the south shore of Lake Superior, the water also holds dark history as a federal Superfund site.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
EPA nixes PFAS grants, teases new strategy https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/epa-nixes-pfas-grants-teases-new-strategy/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/epa-nixes-pfas-grants-teases-new-strategy/#respond Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:12:31 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=42170 EPA nixes PFAS grants, teases new strategy

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

On April 15, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff were told to cancel tens of millions of dollars worth of pending and active grants.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/epa-nixes-pfas-grants-teases-new-strategy/feed/ 0
Can these invasive reeds be stopped? https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/can-these-invasive-reeds-be-stopped/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/can-these-invasive-reeds-be-stopped/#respond Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:13:33 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=42065 Can these invasive reeds be stopped?

Invasive phragmites are overwhelming Ontario’s wetlands, choking out native plants and wildlife. Towering up to 15 feet (5 meters) tall and spreading in dense clusters, this plant outcompetes native species, disrupts ecosystems and threatens wildlife. But a team of dedicated experts and community members are fighting back.

Wetland ecologist Janice Gilbert is leading efforts at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation to combat phragmites.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/can-these-invasive-reeds-be-stopped/feed/ 0
Could the Great Lakes lose billions in restoration funding? https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/could-the-great-lakes-lose-billions-in-restoration-funding/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/could-the-great-lakes-lose-billions-in-restoration-funding/#respond Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:52:42 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=41802 Could the Great Lakes lose billions in restoration funding?

The Great Lakes, the world’s largest system of fresh surface water, supply drinking water to about 40 million people. But industrial pollution, agricultural runoff, and invasive species have caused significant problems. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was created to address these issues and has received bipartisan support since its inception.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/could-the-great-lakes-lose-billions-in-restoration-funding/feed/ 0
One world, two Great Lakes https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/one-world-two-great-lakes/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/one-world-two-great-lakes/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:53:02 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=41543 One world, two Great Lakes

A tropical lake in Central Africa might not seem like the first place you would look to gain insights into North America’s Great Lakes. But that’s just what researchers from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio have been doing for the past three years.

Lake Victoria is the largest of Africa’s Great Lakes, the second largest in the world after Lake Superior.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/one-world-two-great-lakes/feed/ 0
Cancer-causing PFAS to be added to Canada’s toxic substance list https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/cancer-causing-pfas-to-be-added-to-canadas-toxic-substance-list/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/cancer-causing-pfas-to-be-added-to-canadas-toxic-substance-list/#respond Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:08:03 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=41437 Cancer-causing PFAS to be added to Canada’s toxic substance list

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

On March 5, Canada released its final State of PFAS report, and announced that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) would be added to the toxic substances list.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

]]>
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/cancer-causing-pfas-to-be-added-to-canadas-toxic-substance-list/feed/ 0