Land
Back to the farm
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A memoir of pursuing sheep dreams.
Water
Addressing challenges of urban watersheds
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Drain Commissioner On Clean Water Challenges, Opportunities WKAR by Great Lakes Echo
Pat Lindemann has served as the Drain Commissioner of Ingham County for 21 years. He’s a Lansing native who’s spent his entire life in the area. As Drain Commissioner, Lindemann’s responsible for the operation of Ingham County storm drains and related issues including lake levels and soil erosion. Lindemann has earned a reputation as an environmental advocate. That’s put him at odds with developers, entrepreneurs and municipal officials eagerly pursuing business development.
Energy
Will report shine light on Michigan’s solar future?
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In less than two weeks the Michigan Public Service Commission will report on how the state’s two largest investor-owned utilities could improve solar options.
Waste
Michigan seeks to expand use of coal ash
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For at least the past decade, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has sought comprehensive regulations on reusing industrial byproducts like coal ash, the material generated from burning coal for electricity, as an alternative to sending it to landfills.
The “beneficial use” bills, which recently passed the state House, would formally regulate the use of over a dozen forms of industrial byproducts across a variety of sectors, including construction fill and on agricultural land.
Water
Photo Friday: Kitch-iti-kipi spring
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Lake, brown and brook trout are found in the 45 degree Kitch-iti-kipi spring at Palms Book State Park in Manistique, Mich. The water moves through porous sandstone and is discharged into a pond at 10,000 gallons a minute. Visitors can watch the roiling of the clean sands some 40 feet below from a viewing raft. “It’s a fascinating ever-changing floor,” said Peggy Riemer, who captured these images last October. She recently posted similar images and information on NASA’s Earth Science Picture of the Day.
Climate
Wisconsin scientists unveil climate change narratives for 2070
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Will it take a disaster to respond to climate change?
A group of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers on Wednesday released a series of detailed science-based scenarios envisioning life in 2070 in the Madison area’s Yahara Watershed.
The idea is to help people envision the effects of climate change before it worsens.
Land
Manure spraying under scrutiny
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Spraying manure on farm fields while rare now has taken on new urgency as more large dairy farms consider the practice.
Nearshore
Leaky sewer pipes could export viruses to lakes
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A Milwaukee scientist who has found sewage migrating from old pipes through soil and into the stormwater lines that drain to lakes or streams says the problem is likely to occur in cities nationwide.
Energy
Inadequate tree-trimming contributed to lengthy power outages
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Consumers Energy was singled out in a Michigan Public Service Commission staff report for spending nearly $16 million less than the MPSC approved for the utility for vegetation management in 2013.
Energy
Cheap natural gas a challenge for cogeneration plant
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In 2006 when a Minnesota group announced a $60 million biomass cogeneration plant, spot prices for natural gas topped $13 per million Btu. By the time the power plant began operating in May 2009, they had plunged below $4. Operators say they’ve stayed viable by cutting costs and upgrading efficiency.