Echo
Officials, organizations team up to reduce agriculture runoff into Lake Huron
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With a bit of help, farmers can now improve their land and reduce farm runoff into Lake Huron, one ton of soil a time.
Land
Fresh funds fuel phragmite fight
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Phragmites grow aggressively out-competing natives like bulrushes, cattails and sage plants and now wetland managers want it eradicated and replaced by native species.
Echo
New blog tracks Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement negotiations
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Those interested in the Great Lakes now have a new outlet to learn about negotiations regarding the water quality agreement between the U.S. and Canada. Great Lakes United, a coalition of environmental groups and citizens dedicated to protecting and restoring the lakes, has launched a blog, Agreement Watch. It hosts periodic updates of the binational proceedings. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a formal pact between the two governments specifying shared goals and objectives for protecting and restoring Great Lakes water quality. The governments are renegotiating the terms of the agreement to keep up with new threats.
Land
Can the Farm Bill prevent Great Lakes dead zones?
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Little additional land has been converted to cropland since the 1950’s, but a recent study reports that changes in its use could pave the way for more dead zones in the Great Lakes.
Echo
Bracing for climate change in Great Lakes region
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Increasing temperatures may make Michigan summers feel more like Arkansas while those in Illinois may start to feel like Texas.
Some Great Lakes decision makers plan how to mitigate that impact.
Water
Is this dead zone technique more acceptable for thwarting carp invasion?
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They are deadly for aquatic life and take years of pollution to develop, yet dead zones can be created in a flash by bubbling nitrogen through a lake. Are they a solution for invading carp?
Wildlife
Could inducing a “dead zone” in Chicago canal block carp and other invaders?
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Researchers are studying if an induced dead zone could discourage invasive species from moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds.
Echo
Check out midterm report card on Great Lakes Compact
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Two and half years after Great Lakes states agreed to cut down on water diversion and excessive withdrawals from the lakes, the National Wildlife Foundation has reported on how they’re doing. The highlights:
Michigan and Wisconsin have the most notable success, passing legislation to cover all aspects of the compact and administering the program. New York and Ohio only recently enacted legislation to comply with the requirements of the Great Lakes Compact. They deferred to advisory boards for their recommendations. Illinois and Minnesota contend that their statutes and programs are sufficient to control water diversion and withdrawal. They adopted the compact without creating further requirements. Indiana and Pennsylvania created skeletal programs and allowed environmental agencies to fill in the flesh. They have no detailed programs or rules.
Echo
Federal & regional rules could prevent interstate air pollution
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Even with one of the tightest mercury emission regulations in the country, Illinois suffers from out-of-state mercury pollution, according to a recent report.
The report urges federal officials to implement national air toxic standards.
Water
Michigan on-site wastewater systems lack state oversight
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When it comes to regulating septic systems, Michigan is a loner.
It lacks statewide regulations to oversee the permitting and operations for close to 1.5 million of the onsite systems that dispose of human waste.