Echo

South Bass Island sewer rules aim to stop repeat of ’04 ailments

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(OH) The Toledo Blade – By tightening the rules on private septic systems, state health and environmental officials hope to prevent a repeat of a bacterial outbreak here that caused 1,400 people to have stomach cramps and diarrhea in the summer of 2004.  

The agreement among the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ottawa County commissioners, the Ottawa County Board of Health, and Put-in-Bay Township will make it harder for South Bass Island to be developed without sewer lines in place. More

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Port Clinton ribbon-cutting to mark new era for lakefront

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(OH) Toledo Blade – Alison Falls dreams of the day when a boardwalk snakes along a sandy strand of shoreline on the North Coast in Port Clinton.  

She envisions a protected and preserved place where frothy waves lap at the beach, parents push strollers, kids pedal bikes, and tourists bird-watch as slivers of pink streak across a summer sunrise.  More

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Deep budget cuts in Macomb County compromise water safety

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(MI) The Michigan Messenger – But here in the state’s third most populous county, downsizing the budget means supersizing the risk of contaminated water, among other public health calamities. “We have an extremely serious revenue problem,” Thomas Kalkofen, director of the Macomb County Health Department told Michigan Messenger last week. Already, the county has shed all of its parks employees. Over several rounds of budget cutting this year, 79 full-time positions have been eliminated overall, including 27 layoffs, from a county workforce that currently counts 2,200 workers. More

Echo

Bury, baby, bury: A Capitol fight over grass clippings

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(MI) City Pulse – To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Never in the field of legislative conflict has so little been haggled over by so many.” Yet in the seemingly innocuous issue of how to use our grass clippings and leaves is tucked a profound debate on the environment – and who has the real clout in the Capitol today when it comes to green issues. In the ring of this boxing match are the Greater Lansing area’s own landfill company and the waste industry generally on one side, and environmental organizations and composting businesses on the other. More

Echo

Poison to be used against Asian carp

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(IL) UPI – An Illinois Department of Natural Resources official said poison will be added to a Chicago canal to stop Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan. John Rogner, the department’s assistant director, said by adding poison to nearly 6 miles of canal on the outskirts of Chicago, biologists hope to keep the invasive species at bay long enough to repair a new electric fish barrier, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Friday. More

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Leasing water system could be a risky move for Chicago

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(IL) Chicago Tribune – Mayor Richard Daley says any part of city government is up for grabs if the price is right. But if he is tempted to dangle Chicago’s vast water system as his next lease deal, he might want to first consult Atlanta, which is still smarting from a botched experiment with privatizing a big-city water supply. Or the mayor could look someplace closer to home, like Bolingbrook, one of dozens of suburbs and downstate communities furious about steep rate increases imposed by a private water operator. More

Waste

Report: Michigan could create up to 13,000 recycling jobs

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(MI) MLive – Michigan could add as many as 13,000 new jobs if the state boosted its recycling rate average to equal rates in neighboring Great Lakes states, a new report concludes.  
The report from Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants finds that Michigan’s recycling rate of 20 percent lags behind its Great Lakes state neighbors, which average 30 percent. The state has 2,242 recycling and reuse industry establishments that collectively employ nearly 62,000 workers, the research firm said. More

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Doyle signs law to limit phosphorus in dishwasher soap

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(WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Starting in July, consumers will find automatic-dishwasher detergents in stores with lower levels of phosphorus – and likely less cleaning power – as detergent makers respond to state bans on the substance. A law that limits phosphorus content to no more than 0.5% in automatic-dishwasher soap sold in Wisconsin was signed by Gov. Jim Doyle on Thursday. The law will take effect July 1 to give retailers time to sell their current inventory of soap and switch to phosphorus-free detergent. More

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Genesee County will not appeal ruling against managed deer hunt

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(MI) Flint Journal – The Genesee County Parks Commission will not appeal a judge’s ruling against a controlled deer hunt to protect the ecosystem at For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum. It’s probably not in our best interest to appeal. We’re budgeted down to the dollar at this point and every dollar we spend on something like this is a dollar we can’t spend on mowing or picking up trash or public safety,” said parks Director Amy McMillan in agreeing with the commission’s legal counsel not to appeal. “There’s just not an infinite well from which we draw to do our work for the entire park system.” More

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Legislature OKs Michigan Tech lake research center

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(IL) Chicago Tribune – The state Legislature has given Michigan Technological University a go-ahead for its planned $25.3 million Great Lakes Research Center. The Legislature’s Joint Capital Outlay Committee decided Thursday to let the school seek construction bids. The center is planned for a waterfront site near Michigan Tech’s campus in Houghton. The state is to pay 74 percent of the cost and the university 26 percent. More