Groups appeal water pollution permit for Waukegan coal plant on Lake Michigan

<> Groups appeal water pollution permit for Waukegan coal plant on Lake Michigan - The Sierra Club, Environmental Law & Policy Center and other environmental organizations appealed Illinois EPA's water pollution permit for NRG's Waukegan coal plant, arguing it falls far short of implementing necessary protections for Lake Michigan.

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