Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/keweir/page/17/)
(MI) Bay City Times – To think we are receiving $475 million to help repair our precious Great Lakes, but not being able to use the money to clean up the sewage that is dumped into those same Great Lakes every time we get a heavy rain is ridiculous.I cannot believe in good conscience why this problem isn’t a No. 1 priority. I don’t care about the cost! More
(WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – A focused effort is required if the Milwaukee region is to become a hub of water research and industry. Water offers the region terrific economic development potential, but that effort cannot be diluted. And development of a strong water industry also requires the concentration that only a full-time staff can bring. As valuable as the work of volunteers has been, those volunteers have day jobs and other professional concerns. The effort needs someone whose day job it is to help make Milwaukee a center of water research and development.
(MI) Flint Journal – The man fighting the plan to run a $600 water pipe from Lake Huron to Genesee County stands alone. Cheboygan County Administrator Michael Overton made that clear in a letter last month to Genesee County officials. Cheboygan County Drain Commissioner Dennis Lennox’s campaign against the water pipe to serve Genesee, Lapeer and Sanilac counties is a one-man band. And he’s dead wrong. More
(OH) Toledo Blade – For decades if not centuries, a portion of Lake Erie’s central basin has been so depleted of oxygen that it has not supported life. Two Bowling Green State University researchers believe they have uncovered cold-weather diatoms, or microscopic pieces, of algae that contribute to the lake’s infamous dead zone.
The research that Michael McKay and George Bullerjahn have done into Aulacoseira islandica (pronounced All-LE-sa-SY-ruh Eye-LAND-icka) is not likely to solve the dead zone’s mystery. More
(MI) Traverse City Record-Eagle – Some lawmakers are seeking an increase in solid waste disposal fees to help reduce landfills and incineration. A proposal by Rep. Daniel Scripps, D-Leland, would establish a $7.50 per ton state tipping fee on solid waste dumped at landfills and municipal incinerators. A new surcharge initially would generate about $145 million annually. The amount could decrease over time if the program succeeds in reducing the volume of waste. More
(WI) Sheboygan Press – The Great Lakes got a huge shot in the arm last week when President Obama signed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This measure commits $475 million to a restoration and recovery program for the largest source of freshwater in the world. It also makes the federal government and the eight states that border Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario partners in the effort. More
(ON) Toronto Star – In a cross-Canada investigation, fish sold as wild Pacific salmon turned out to be farmed Atlantic salmon. Sea bass was actually endangered Patagonian toothfish, marketed as Chilean sea bass, which is a different species. Cheaper skipjack was substituted for sushi grade tuna. Tilapia stood in for snapper and even white tuna. “Bluefish” from a Chinatown shop turned out to be a species of herring that’s not even listed in the official database of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
(MI) AnnArbor.com – Do you regularly recycle? If the answer is no, Ann Arbor officials are trying to change that. Late last week, the city council unanimously agreed to move forward with a $4.6 million initiative to overhaul Ann Arbor’s recycling system. Officials say the changes will offer residents more convenience and will provide incentives starting next year. More
(WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – The headquarters for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s new School of Freshwater Sciences would cost an estimated $50 million to develop at the university’s Great Lakes WATER Institute, according to a newly drafted proposal. That estimate is part of a preliminary construction spending proposal that UWM officials will soon submit to the UW-System Board of Regents. The proposal will undergo changes before it’s reviewed by the regents. The proposal to put the freshwater school at the institute, which overlooks the harbor at 600 E. Greenfield Ave., was termed a “place holder” by Tom Luljak, vice chancellor of university relations. More
(ON) Benzinga – On behalf of Canada’s Environment Minister Jim Prentice, Jeff Watson, Member of Parliament for Essex, today announced $410,000 in funding from the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund for four projects to clean up the Detroit River Area of Concern. Thirty-seven projects throughout the Great Lakes are receiving $2.2 million in funding this year. “The Government of Canada is using the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund to support partnered projects to restore water quality in the Canadian Areas of Concern,” said M.P. Watson. “Locally, the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund is supporting projects like the LaSalle Riverfront Park Habitat Restoration. These types of projects represent real action to ensure that Canada’s communities and families can thrive in a healthy environment.”