Lake Huron Restoration Regional Meetings

<> Lake Huron Restoration Regional Meetings - 4 meetings/locations join colleagues to discuss restoration progress in the U.S. Lake Huron basin and hear about plans to develop the Lake Huron Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) under the newly updated U.S-Canadian Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Tom Melius Appointed New Commissioner of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission

<> Tom Melius Appointed New Commissioner of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission - The President has appointed Midwest Regional Director, Tom Melius, as the Federal Commissioner of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission -- the position has remained vacant since 2010.

Regional groups urge EPA to declare Western Lake Erie Watershed impaired

<> Regional groups urge EPA to declare Western Lake Erie Watershed impaired - A coalition of 30 environmental, farm, grass-roots and other organizations from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, requested U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to initiate urgent protective actions for Lake Erie, including declaring the western basin an impaired watershed.

How an upstream ditch limits downstream algae

<> How an upstream ditch limits downstream algae - Standard ditches drain phosphorus, nitrogen and excess dirt into rivers and streams, contaminating the water and hurting its inhabitants -- the two-stage system prevents them from entering the watershed.

NY Rep. Higgins seeks federal aid to upgrade Great Lakes wastewater treatment plants

<> NY Rep. Higgins seeks federal aid to upgrade Great Lakes wastewater treatment plants - The bill would provide the EPA with money that would be passed on to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in the Great Lakes region which would be equipped with "nutrient-removal technology." Higgins Announces Legislation to Protect the Great Lakes, Update Water Infrastructure - The Great Lakes Nutrient Removal Assistance Act would provide the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with $500 million of funding to upgrade publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants in the Great Lakes basin with nutrient removal technology. H.R. 1955: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance for nutrient removal technologies to States in the Great Lakes System

Great Lakes connects Midwest with Middle East in Chicago

<> Great Lakes connects Midwest with Middle East in Chicago - When it comes to the policy, activism and distribution of water, each region has much to learn from the other -- the summit also launched the new Freshwater Lab for Water Policy and Diplomacy, a partnership between the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Freshwater Lab for Water Policy and Diplomacy

Lake Erie Congress members ask NASA to fund algal bloom warning system

<> Lake Erie Congress members ask NASA to fund algal bloom warning system - Ohio Congress members whose districts abut Lake Erie want the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to keep funding a new satellite-based system to track algal blooms that can contaminate drinking water.

Shipping Great Lakes water? That's California dreaming

<> Shipping Great Lakes water? That's California dreaming - Amid rising water supply crises, could the parched American Southwest ever get its hands on the world's most abundant and valuable liquid fresh water supply — our Great Lakes?

Lake Erie woes subject of county-commissioned report

<> Lake Erie woes subject of county-commissioned report - Two legal experts were commissioned by Lucas County commissioners to develop the report, which gives recommendations for tackling the phosphorus load that contributes to the summer algal blooms in the lake. Lucas Co. considers new water authority - Chesapeake Bay is design model; Moving Forward: Legal Solutions to Lake Erie's Harmful Algal Blooms Legal Institue of the Great Lakes, University of Toledo College of Law - Website: Reducing harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Erie: Legal Tools and Best Practices

Combined sewer overflows last week doubled 2014 amount

<> Combined sewer overflows last week doubled 2014 amount - Combined sanitary and storm sewers in central Milwaukee and eastern Shorewood discharged an estimated 681.1 million gallons of storm water and sewage to local waterways April 9, according to Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District officials -- for comparison, the district reported 341 million gallons of total sewer overflows in all of last year, and more than 1.1 billion gallons of overflows in 2013

Stabenow, Peters Introduce Resolution Opposing Storage of Nuclear Waste in Great Lakes Basin

<> Stabenow, Peters Introduce Resolution Opposing Storage of Nuclear Waste in Great Lakes Basin - U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced a Senate resolution (S.RES.134) urging the administration to oppose a Canadian proposal to build a permanent nuclear waste repository in the Great Lakes Basin.  S.RES.134

Funding & The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

<> EDITORIAL: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative needs full funding - More work remains to be done; from cleaning up the nutrient runoff blamed for harmful algae growth to defending the lakes against invasive species such as Asian carp.

<> COMMENTARY: Effort to restore the Great Lakes paying off - Congress has now provided almost $2 billion for restoration activities through the GLRI. This impressive investment reflects the fact that Great Lakes restoration is a bipartisan priority for our region's congressional delegation.

Opinion: Protect Our Sacred Water

<> Opinion: Protect Our Sacred Water - Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians Tribal Councilor Derek Bailey discusses perspectives of Indigenous People who are now becoming more vocal and active in the preservation of our waters.

EDITORIAL: Congress must reel in Army Corps on dump of toxic dredge in Lake Erie

<> EDITORIAL: Congress must reel in Army Corps on dump of toxic dredge in Lake Erie - The Ohio congressional delegation need to show the Corps that following the law, and doing the right thing for public health, are not optional.

OH Gov. Kasich Signs S.B. 1 to Protect Lake Erie and Ohio's Water Quality

<> OH Gov. Kasich Signs S.B. 1 to Protect Lake Erie and Ohio's Water Quality – 4/2/15. At Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon (Lucas Co.), Gov. John R. Kasich signed S.B. 1, legislation to protect Lake Erie and Ohio's water quality. Ohio Senate Bill 1 – passed unanimously in House & Senate on March 25, 2015, takes effect 90 days after the governor signs it. Ohio Plan to Reduce Phosphorus Pollution Another Good Step

Great Lakes states receive more than $10 million from U.S. Fish and Wildlife

<> Great Lakes states receive more than $10 million from U.S. Fish and Wildlife - Great Lakes states received more than $10 million in federal funding to protect species and habitats, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [Michigan received $1.2 million the same as last year]

Request for Applications: Support of the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program

<> Request for Applications: Support of the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program - U.S. EPA issued a Request for Applications soliciting applications from states, tribes, local governments, universities, nonprofit organizations, and other eligible organizations for approximately $6.5 million for a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative cooperative agreement to complete chemical analysis in support of the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program